Abstract:
A touch panel integrated liquid crystal display panel, includes a liquid crystal display panel displaying a picture by driving liquid crystal, a polarizer formed at the top of the liquid crystal display panel, and a touch panel with a separation tag extending outwards from at least one side of the top of the polarizer.

Description:
[0001]    The present invention claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. P2001-86112 filed in Korea on Dec. 27, 2001, which is hereby incorporated by reference.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel capable of preventing a polarizer from being damaged upon a repairing process.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    The touch panel is a computer peripheral that is installed on the display surface of an image display device such as cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), field emission display (FED), plasma display panel (PDP) and electro luminescence device (ELD) so that while looking at the image display device, a user applies pressure on the touch panel to enter a predetermined information into the computer.  
           [0006]    Explained below is a liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel in a liquid crystal display device.  
           [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1 is a view showing a liquid crystal display panel on which a touch panel is mounted according to the related art.  
           [0008]    In FIG. 1, the liquid crystal display device has a touch panel  32 , a liquid crystal panel  31 , and a backlight  33  that are all independent. The touch panel  32  is connected to a touch controller  34  by signal lines  36 , and the touch controller  34  is electrically connected to a computer system  35 . Accordingly, if the top of the touch panel  32  is touched with a specific pressure, a voltage value of the position is calculated at the touch controller  34  to recognize its coordinates.  
           [0009]    [0009]FIG. 2 is a plane view showing the liquid crystal display panel, on which the touch panel shown in FIG. 1 is mounted according to the related art. In FIG. 2, a touch panel  32  includes an upper plate  32   a  and a lower plate  32   b , a liquid crystal display panel  31  includes an upper plate  31   a  and a lower plate  31   b , and a polarizer  4  formed between the touch panel  32  and the liquid crystal display panel  31 . The touch panel  32  includes an upper electrode formed on an upper substrate of the upper plate  32   a , a lower electrode formed on a lower substrate of the lower plate  32   b , and a spacer for maintaining a gap between the upper plate  32   a  and the lower plate  32   b.    
           [0010]    The liquid crystal display panel  31  includes an upper electrode (not shown) formed on an upper substrate of the upper plate  31   a , a plurality of lower electrodes (not shown) formed on a lower substrate of the lower plate  31   b , alignment films (not shown) formed on the upper and lower electrodes, a liquid crystal material formed between the alignment films, a spacer (not shown) for controlling a cell gap formed between the upper plate  31   a  and the lower plate  31   b . In addition, a sealant (not shown) that bonds and fixes the upper plate  31   a  and the lower plate  31   b  is formed to prevent moisture and impurities from permeating from the outside to the inside of the liquid crystal display panel  31  at the edge of the upper plate  31   a  and the lower plate  31   b.    
           [0011]    The polarizer  4  is formed between the lower plate  32   b  of the touch panel  32  and the upper plate  31   a  of the liquid crystal display panel  31 , and serves for converting visible light into polarized light on both of its sides with the liquid crystal display panel in the center.  
           [0012]    A first adhesive  39   a  is formed between the lower plate  32   b  of the touch panel  32  and the polarizer  4 , and a second adhesive  39   b  is formed between the upper plate  31   a  of the liquid crystal display panel  31  and the polarizer  4 . The touch panel  32  is bonded with the liquid crystal display panel  31  by the first adhesive  39   a  and the second adhesive  39   b  having the polarizer  4  therebetween.  
           [0013]    During repair process of the touch panel  32 , a knife or a thin plate is inserted by force between the touch panel  32  and the liquid crystal display panel  31 , and the touch panel  32  is lifted upwards to be separated from the liquid crystal display panel  31 . In this case, the knife or the thin plate can damage the touch panel  32 . Accordingly, a significant amount of time is required since the separation requires high precision of placement of the knife or thin plate.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel and method of fabricating the same that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.  
           [0015]    Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.  
           [0016]    To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described, a touch panel device integrated with a liquid crystal display panel device includes a liquid crystal display panel, a polarizer formed at a top surface of the liquid crystal display panel, and a touch panel formed on the polarizer, wherein the touch panel includes a separation tag extending outwards from at least one side of the polarizer.  
           [0017]    In another aspect, a method of fabricating a touch panel integrated liquid crystal display panel, includes the steps of forming a liquid crystal display panel, forming a polarizer at a top surface of the liquid crystal display panel, and forming a touch panel with a separation tag extending outwards from at least one side of a top of the polarizer.  
           [0018]    It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the drawings:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 is a view showing a liquid crystal display panel on which a touch panel is mounted according to the related art;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a plane view showing the liquid crystal display panel, on which the touch panel shown in FIG. 1 is mounted according to the related art;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a plane view showing an exemplary liquid crystal display panel and touch panel according to the present invention;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the exemplary liquid crystal display panel and touch panel of FIG. 3 according to the present invention;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the exemplary liquid crystal display panel and touch panel of FIG. 4 according to the present invention;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an exemplary electrode and signal line formed on the touch panel of FIG. 5 according to the present invention; and  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 is a diagram of exemplary electrodes and signal lines of FIG. 6 according to the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0027]    Reference will not be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 3 is a plane view showing an exemplary liquid crystal display panel and touch panel according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the exemplary liquid crystal display panel and touch panel of FIG. 3 according to the present invention. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the integrated liquid crystal display panel and touch panel may include a liquid crystal display panel  31  having an upper plate  31   a  and a lower plate  31   b , a touch panel  32  having a separation tag  40  extending outwards from one side edge, and a polarizer  4  formed between the touch panel  32  and the liquid crystal display panel  31 .  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the exemplary liquid crystal display panel and touch panel of FIG. 4 according to the present invention. In FIG. 5 the liquid crystal display panel  31  may include a lower plate  31   b , an upper plate  31   a  facing the lower plate  31   b , and liquid crystal material  14  and a spacer  5  interposed between the upper plate  31   a  and the lower plate  31   b . The lower plate  31   b  may include a thin film transistor formed at an intersection of a gate line  6  and a data line (not shown), and a pixel electrode  10  connected to a drain electrode (not shown) of the TFT.  
         [0030]    The TFT may include a gate electrode (not shown) connected to the gate line  6 , a source electrode (not shown) connected to the data line (not shown), and a drain electrode (not shown) connected to the pixel electrode  10 . The TFT may further include a gate insulation film  8  for insulating the source electrode (not shown) from the drain electrode (not shown), and a semiconductor layer (not shown) for forming a conductive channel between the source electrode, and the drain electrode by means of gate voltage supplied to the gate electrode. In order to protect such a TFT, a protective film  44  may be formed, and the pixel electrode  10  may be formed on the protective film  44  to be connected to the drain electrode (not shown) via a contact hole fed-through (not shown) the protective film  44 . A first alignment film  12  may be formed on the lower substrate  3   b  where the pixel electrode  10  is formed.  
         [0031]    The upper plate  31   a  may include a black matrix  16 , a color filter  18 , a common electrode  46 , and a second alignment film  42  sequentially formed on its lower surface. The black matrix  16  may be formed on the upper substrate  3   a  in a matrix shape to divide the surface of the upper substrate  3   a  into a plurality of cell areas where color filters  18  are to be formed, and to prevent light interference between adjacent cells.  
         [0032]    Color filters  18  of red, green, and blue may be sequentially formed on the upper substrate  3   a  where the black matrix  16  may be formed. Accordingly, each color filter  18  may be formed by spreading a substance that absorbs white light and transmits a specific light (Red, Green, or Blue) on an entire surface of the upper substrate  3   a  where the black matrix  16  may be formed, and patterning it.  
         [0033]    The common electrode  46  may be formed of a transparent conductive film whose ground potential is supplied to the upper substrate  3   a  where the black matrix  16  and the color filter  18  are formed. A second alignment film  42  may be formed on the upper substrate  3   a  where the common electrode  46  is formed.  
         [0034]    The spacer  5  may be formed on the first alignment film  12  before the upper plate  31   a  is combined with the lower plate  31   b.  The upper plate  31   a  and the lower plate  31   b  may be separated from each other by a specific gap therebetween. For example, the spacer  5  may be provided to form a constant gap between the upper plate  31   a  and the lower plate  31   b  making the liquid crystal material  14  have uniform thickness.  
         [0035]    The touch panel  32  may include a lower plate  32   b  having a first electrode layer  26  formed on the lower substrate  20  made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), an upper plate  32   a  having a second electrode  27  formed on the upper substrate  24 , and a spacer  28  formed between the upper plate  32   a  and the lower plate  32   b.    
         [0036]    A separation tag  40  (in FIG. 4) may be formed at one side edge of the lower substrate  20  and the upper substrate  24  to extend along an outward direction. Alternatively, the separation tag  40  may be formed only at one side edge of the lower substrate  20 . The touch panel  32  may be separated from the polarizer  4  during a repair process by use of the separation tag  40 . For example, an operator may lift the separation tag  40  formed at the touch panel  32  during the repair process to separate the touch panel  32  from the polarizer  4 .  
         [0037]    A first electrode layer  26  may be formed on a lower substrate  20  except at the separation tag  40  that extends from the lower substrate  20  of the lower plate  32   b , and a second electrode layer  27  may be formed on an upper substrate  24  except at the separation tag  40  that extends from the upper substrate  24  of the upper plate  32   a.    
         [0038]    The second electrode layer  27  is electrically short-circuited with the first electrode layer  26  when the upper substrate  24  is pressed with a specific pressure by a stylus pen or a finger. Accordingly, a signal is generated having current and voltage level differences in accordance with the position being pressed. The first and the second electrode layers  26  and  27  may be formed of transparent conductive materials in a double layer structure including silver Ag printed on the transparent conductive material. The transparent conductive material may include of one of indium-tin-oxide (ITO), indium-zinc-oxide (IZO), indium-tin-zinc-oxide (ITZO).  
         [0039]    The polarizer  4  may be formed between the lower plate  32   b  of the touch panel  32  and the upper plate  31   a  of the liquid crystal display panel  31 , and may convert visible light into linear polarized light at both sides having the liquid crystal display panel therebetween.  
         [0040]    A first adhesive  1   a  may be formed between the polarizer  4  and the lower plate  32   b  of the touch panel  32 , and a second adhesive  1   b  may be formed between the polarizer  4  and the upper plate  31   a . For example, the touch panel  32  and the liquid crystal display panel  31  formed with the polarizer  4  therebetween may be respectively bonded with the polarizer  4  by the first and the second adhesives  1   a  and  1   b.    
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an exemplary electrode and signal line formed on the touch panel of FIG. 5 according to the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a diagram of exemplary electrode and signal lines of FIG. 6 according to the present invention. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the upper plate  32   a  of the touch panel  32  may include X-axis electrodes  27   a  and  27   b  formed along edges thereof in a vertical direction, and signal lines  28   c  and  28   d  extending from a center region of the X-axis electrodes  27   a  and  27   b  for supplying current or voltage level signals to the touch controller  34 . The lower plate  32   b  of the touch panel  32  includes a Y-axis electrodes  26   a  and  26   b  formed along edges thereof in a horizontal direction, and signal lines  28   a  and  28   b  extending from a center portion of the Y-axis electrodes  26   a  and  26   b  for supplying current or voltage level signals to the touch controller  34 . The signal lines  28   a ,  28   b ,  28   c  and  28   d  may include a tail part and an electrode extension connected to the Y-axis and X-axis electrodes  26   a ,  26   b ,  27   a  and  27   b . Accordingly, the touch panel  32  may include the signal lines  28   a ,  28   b ,  28   c  and  28   d  extending from the center portion of the Y-axis and X-axis electrodes  26   a ,  26   b ,  27   a  and  27   b  to extend to one side of the touch panel  32  for making a connection to the touch panel  34 .  
         [0042]    The touch panel integrated liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention can also be applied to PDP&#39;s, FED&#39;s, and ELD&#39;s.  
         [0043]    As described above, the touch panel integrated liquid crystal display panel according to the present invention has a separation tag extending at one side edge of the touch panel. The operator lifts this separation tag upwards to separate the touch panel from the polarizer in the touch panel repair process, thereby preventing the polarizer from being damaged. Also, since the touch panel is easily separated from the polarizer by the separation tag, the repair process is simple and the repair process is shortened in time.  
         [0044]    It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the liquid crystal display panel having a touch panel and method of fabricating the same of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.