Flat panel display having integral heater, EMI shield, and thermal sensors

Flat panel display with integrated heater, electromagnetic interference protection and thermal sensor

[Related Application Cases]

This application is a partial continuation of the pending US Patent Application Serial No. 10/679,977 filed on October 7, 2003.

The invention relates to a liquid crystal flat panel display.

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In one embodiment, the flat panel display of the present invention has an indium tin oxide (ITO, Indium Tin Oxide) layer or other light-transmitting layers covering the outer glass surfaces of the front and back under the front and back polarizers. Of conductive materials. The ITO layer on the front of this type of display acts as an electromagnetic interference (EMI, electro-magnetic interference) filter or shield. The ITO layer on the back of this type of display is used as a heater. Each ITO layer may or may not be double-sided on one side and covered with a refractive index matching dielectric to improve the light transmittance through ITO coating, and/or reduce the front and/or Light reflection on the back surface.

In an alternative embodiment, the ITO heater layer is placed on the inner surface of the back glass plate to allow the ITO heater layer to be closer to the liquid crystal layer. This is to reduce the thermal resistance between the ITO layer and the liquid crystal layer, thereby reducing the amount of power required to heat the liquid crystal layer. In a preferred embodiment, the bus bar is placed along the predetermined edge of the ITO heater layer. The bus bar allows uniform injection of current into the ITO heater layer. It is also preferable that the thermal sensor is placed inside the glass and adjacent to the ITO layer to detect the heat input to the liquid crystal layer.

In another alternative embodiment, an integrated metal heater is used to replace the ITO heater layer. The metal heater is applied to the thin-film transistor (TFT, thin-film transistor) layer and is adjacent to the liquid crystal layer to provide an improved and efficient heating capacity.

In another alternative embodiment, a black mask (BM, black mask) EMI layer is inserted between the front and back glass plates. In a preferred embodiment, the EMI layer is isolated from Vcom and connected to zero potential. Preferably, the integrated metal heater is placed behind the black mask EMI layer, so that any part of the heater is invisible and any part of the heater does not interfere with the pixel aperture.

In another alternative embodiment, the integrated thermal sensor can also be stacked on the TFT array layer and preferably under the black mask EMI layer. In this embodiment, the thermal resistance between the integrated heater and the thermal sensor is reduced, resulting in a faster response time of the thermal sensor. As discussed in detail below, it is understood that the features of the alternative embodiments discussed above can be combined to form further alternative flat panel display designs. For example, a flat panel display can be constructed with all the features of the present invention, which combines an isolated black mask EMI layer, an integrated thermal sensor and an integrated heater in a flat panel display.

In addition to the above, for those who are familiar with the art, the novel features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by carefully reading the following detailed description related to the accompanying drawings, wherein similar reference signs refer to similar part.

The preferred system described herein is not intended to be completely omitted or to limit the present invention to the precise form disclosed. It is selected and described to explain the principle of the present invention and the application of the method to practical use, so as to make familiar Others in this skill can implement the present invention.

Figure 1 illustrates a conventional display system. In the conventional display system, the polarizing layer is directly placed on the front and back panels. Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the flat panel display 10 of the present invention. According to the conventional flat panel display technology, the display includes a front panel 12 and a back panel 14. In one embodiment of the present invention, indium tin oxide (ITO) layers 18, 20 (with or without an additional index matching dielectric layer) are placed on the outer surfaces of the front and back plates and the polarizing layer 16 between. In one embodiment, the front panel is a color filter (CF) panel of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and the back panel is an LCD thin film transistor (TFT) panel. In one embodiment, the front panel and the back panel are transparent glass substrates. According to the conventional principle, a liquid crystal layer is placed between the front panel and the back panel.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the front EMI protection ITO coating 18 is preferably a constant value less than or equal to 15-20 ohms/unit area (ohms/sq). A first refractive index matching dielectric layer 22 can be placed between the EMI protection ITO layer and the front polarizing layer. A second index matching dielectric layer 24 can be placed between the EMI protection ITO layer and the front panel. When it is a related metal or conductive chassis that is electrically connected or grounded to the entire LCD assembly and/or its related product chassis, the front ITO coating acts as an EMI protection. This ITOEMI protection can significantly reduce the radiation emitted from the LCD itself and the protection, or reduce the sensitivity of the LCD to the effects of external electromagnetic fields.

In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the back heater ITO coating 20 is preferably sandwiched between a first index matching dielectric layer 26 and a second index matching dielectric layer 28. The first refractive index matching dielectric layer 26 can be placed between the heater ITO layer and the back polarizing layer. The second index matching dielectric layer 28 can be placed between the heater ITO layer and the back plate. The refractive index matching layers are used to match between the heater ITO layer and glass and between the heater ITO layer and the pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) layers 40 and 42 of the polarizer. The refractive index. The index matching helps keep the specular reflection to an absolute minimum and can also increase the light transmittance of the entire optical stack. The back ITO layer is driven by the circuit to act as a heater. The ohm/unit area of the ITO layer can be changed as desired based on performance requirements and size variables.

In the preferred embodiment in Figure 2, the front ITO layer and the outer edge 30 of the front panel extend beyond (for example, beyond 0.25-0.50 mm) the front polarizer and the first dielectric layer 18 (if present) The outer edge 32. This is to expose the front ITO layer for external electrical contact at the edge of the polarizer. In the same way, the two opposite back ITO layers and the outer edge 34 of the back plate extend beyond the outer edge 36 of the back polarizer and the dielectric layer 20 (if present). Therefore, the ITO layer is exposed for connection to the driving circuit for the heater function.

Placing the ITO layer and the refractive index matching layer between the polarizer and the LCD panel provides advantages over conventional flat panel displays (that is, the current conventional process is to coat a separate glass plate instead of applying it directly On the LCD panel). The separated front EMI board can be mounted on the front end of the LCD freely, or directly laminated to the front polarizer of the LCD by means of an optical adhesive. The separated back heater board is directly laminated to the front or back polarizer of the LCD by means of an optical adhesive, thereby facilitating proper heat transfer from the ITO heating layer to the liquid crystal fluid. In some conventional architectures, the heater ITO is decoupled (RF (radio frequency)) to the LCD cabinet ground, so that it can be used as EMI protection and heater. In these situations, the heater element is typically a front polarizer laminated to the LCD.

Placing the ITO layer directly on the boards with or without the index matching layer results in significant cost, weight and thickness reduction, and improved optical performance. The process implemented in the present invention also provides a more efficient coupling of the heater ITO to the LCD fluid, and reduces the power density required to heat the LCD fluid to a specified temperature in a specified period of time. This improved coupling comes from the fact that the ITO heater is directly covered on the surface of the LCD glass, which can eliminate the thermal resistance caused by the conventional implementation of optical adhesives, polarizers and polarizer PSA . In a typical conventional architecture, a power density of 2 watts per square inch of the displayed image area is required to heat the LCD fluid from -54°C to -20°C in less than or equal to 10 minutes. By covering the ITO directly on the back surface of the LCD, this same heating of the LCD fluid can be achieved with a power density of 1.8 watts per square inch of the displayed image area.

In the conventional flat panel display system, where the ITO layer is a separate glass plate coated on it and then laminated to the outside of the polarizing plate, this lamination process often results in a layer containing bubbles or particles. Displays with bubbles or particle contamination are discarded as unqualified displays. Because the contamination is detectable until the adhesive is dry and the display is fully assembled, a contaminated build-up system will cause the loss of the entire LCD assembly. In the case of with or without a refractive index matching layer, directly covering the ITO on the outer front and rear surfaces of the LCD glass (ie: the plate) avoids this high yield loss.

Placing the refractive index matching ITO layer directly on the boards also prevents the lamination-induced window framing (LIWF) effect caused by undesirable lamination. In the conventional flat panel display, the ITO layer is directly covered on a separate glass plate, which is typically then permanently laminated to the outer surface of the front and/or back polarizer by means of an optical adhesive. Due to the shrinkage of the optical adhesive during its curing, and/or the difference between the ITO cover glass, optical adhesive, polarizer and LCD glass, the coefficient of thermal expansion (Cte, coefficient of thermal expansion), LCD glass is bent or bowed , And change the cell gap between the front and back glass plates of the LCD. This interstitial deformation locally changes the image contrast, and is typically caused by "whitening" or "darkening" degradation (ie, "halo") in the contrast surrounding or around the display area. "effect). This effect is known as LIWF. The severity of this degradation varies with the use time and operating temperature of the display. By skipping the step of the laminated ITO-coated glass plate to the outer surface of the polarizer, the LIWF phenomenon is avoided.

Placing the refractive index matching ITO layer directly on the plates also enhances the optical performance. The present invention has reduced specular reflection and increased contrast superior to the conventional display. The conventional display has an ITO-coated glass plate laminated to the outer surface of the polarizer. By placing the front ITO layer under the front polarizer, less light is reflected from the display. In other words, because the front polarizer transmits only a part of the light from the outside (for example, 42% of the light is transmitted by the polarizer), a corresponding smaller amount of transmitted light is due to the difference between the polarizer and the front panel. Between the ITO layer.

The ITO layer and the refractive index matching dielectric layer of the present invention are applied using conventional processes, such as sputtering or vapor deposition.

Figure 3 illustrates another embodiment of a flat panel display 50 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the display preferably includes the following layers: a front polarizer 52, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 54, an LCD color plate or glass layer 56, and a black mask layer 58 (preferably chrome ), a color filter layer 60, a Vcom ITO 62, a first and second polyamide (polyamide) alignment layer 64, a liquid crystal layer 65, a TFT array layer 66, an insulator layer 68, an ITO The heater layer 70, an LCD TFT plate or glass 72, a second pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 74, a back polarizing layer 76, and an anti-reflective (AR, anti-reflective) coating layer 78.

In the embodiment in Figure 3, the ITO heater layer is preferably placed on the inner surface of the glass plate to allow the ITO heater layer to be closer to the liquid crystal layer. This will reduce the thermal resistance between the ITO layer and the liquid crystal layer, thereby reducing the power consumption required to heat the liquid crystal layer. Furthermore, since there are fewer intervening layers between the ITO heater layer and the liquid crystal layer, less power is required to heat the liquid crystal layer. Because of the lower power requirements for powering the ITO layer, the ohms per unit area and therefore the thickness or density of the ITO can be reduced, thereby increasing the light transmittance.

In the preferred embodiment in Figure 3, the bus bars are placed along the predetermined edge of the ITO heater layer. The bus bar provides a low-impedance connection along one of the predetermined edges of the ITO heater layer. The bus bar allows uniform injection of current into the ITO heater layer. In one embodiment, silk screen epoxy is covered on the ITO heater layer, which is then placed in an oven and heated. Therefore, the resulting bus bar is embedded in the ITO layer.

In this embodiment, it is preferable that the black cover layer composed of chromium is electrically connected to a zero-potential chassis. Therefore, the black mask layer functions as an EMI layer. In an alternative embodiment, the refractive index matching dielectric layer can be sandwiched around the ITO heater layer to provide the advantages previously discussed. The insulator layer can be used as a refractive index matching dielectric layer. In one embodiment, the black mask layer is applied by conventional vapor deposition or sputtering techniques.

Figure 4 illustrates another alternative embodiment of the flat glass and display shown in Figure 3. Figure 4 is a preferred embodiment of the flat panel display of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the LCD is a TFT active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD, active matrix) connected to 84 through a flexible tape carrier package (TCP, tape carrier package) driven by source and gate matrix liquid crystal display). In the embodiment of Figure 4, the heater layer 80 and the thermal sensor (shown generally at 82) are integrated in the flat panel display because they are applied to the TFT array structure. The flat panel display in Figure 4 avoids the high-yield loss and LIWF problem of the prior art display discussed above.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the LCD includes a black cover inserted between the front and back glass plates for EMI protection. LCD systems emit EMI (radiation emissions) and are susceptible to high-intensity EMI fields (radiation sensitivity). In order to protect against these EMI problems in sensitive environments (ie: military applications, aircraft applications, etc.), a light-permeable low-resistance layer is used to cover the entire active area of the displayed image. The previous solution involves optically laminating or adhering a cover glass to the front of the LCD, which has been covered with an ITO layer of 8-20 ohms/unit area or a black oxide wire mesh with low resistance. EMI protection absorbs and conducts interference signals from the display. Due to the use of conductive bus bars and related wire/foil leads, the use of a cover glass is costly and electrical termination is labor intensive. The use of cover glass also causes optical problems, because ITO or wire mesh reduces light transmittance and increases ambient light reflection, both of which contribute to reduced image brightness and contrast. In order to compensate for the reduced brightness and contrast, the use of a higher intensity backlight (backlight) results in higher system cost, higher display operating temperature (shortened life), and greater system power consumption (more increased System cost). Furthermore, the use of wire mesh, image moiré effect (Moir<img file="TW200604635A_D0001.tif" />) (Ie: the black-and-white moving pattern of optical confusion caused by the optical interference between the net and the pixel structure) will never be removed.

In the preferred embodiment of black mask EMI protection, the gate, source, heater bus line, pixel capacitor, and pixel feed-through are low-reflective and conductive when viewed from any angle (For example: less than or equal to 10.0 ohm/unit area) covered by a black mask, and preferably over the entire viewing area. The electrical connection for the black cover is preferably achieved through the source TCP and through a flexible printed circuit (FPC, flex printed circuit) across the display.

The black mask is preferably applied by a conventional process of sputtering or evaporation (ie, vacuum deposition). The layers are preferably applied to reduce the resistance of ohms/unit area, from about 20-30 ohms/unit area to 8-10 ohms/unit area. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the black mask is deposited and adhered to the first layer on the inner side of the front panel of the LCD (ie, the color plate). In most LCD panels, Vcom is a positive voltage of about 4-7 volts. By isolating the black cover from Vcom, the Vcom potential (and the normal function of LcD) is kept undisturbed. By connecting the black cover to the chassis ground, a Faraday cage with low DC and RF (radio frequency) resistance/impedance (Faraday Cage) or EMI protection is established between the "outer" boundary and the TFT transistor of the LCD. Therefore, the isolated case and the grounded black cover form an EMI protection between the active electronic circuit of the LCD and the outside world. This is to reduce the radiation emission from the LCD panel, and increase the resistance of the LCD panel to radiation sensitivity (ie: image degradation caused by the influence of external electric fields) without adding some external features (ie: Cover glass for a multi-layer ITO coating). In addition, since the black mask does not cover or shield the active pixel aperture, the integrated EMI protection system does not reduce any light transmittance through the LCD (ie: the glass of an external laminated ITO coating has less than 100% light transmittance and Therefore, the light transmittance through the LCD is reduced). In addition, the glass of an external laminated ITO piece has a specular and diffuse reflection greater than 0.0%, thereby increasing the reflectivity of the LCD, which reduces the image contrast (especially when combined with the reduced light transmittance of the laminated cover glass). These optical degradation systems do not occur in the integrated EMI protection of the present invention (that is, the mirror surface and diffuse reflection are not increased, the LCD light transmittance is not reduced, and the image contrast is not reduced).

The black mask (BM) electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection of the present invention is applied to the existing structure in the LCD to perform an additional function. Except for the extremely low-cost addition of a light-transmitting resin dielectric (insulating) layer 83 between the black mask and Vcom ITO (the existing structure in the LCD), there are no other items to add to reduce the image quality.

Figure 5 illustrates an embodiment of a flat panel display with a flexible TCP connection. The connection for internal EMI protection is achieved through TCP. In this example, heater pipes: 4-60, 89-145, 174-230, 259-315 (total 228 pipes); black-covered pipes: 65-84, 150-169, 235-254 (total 60 pipes) Pipes); Dummy pipes: 1-3, 61-64, 85-88, 146-149, 170-173, 231-234, 255-258, 316-318 (30 pipes in total) are used. The flexible tape and reel (TCP) connection for source and gate drive is shown at 84. The EMI bonding pad is shown at 86. Fig. 6 is a perspective exploded view illustrating an embodiment of the flat panel display of the present invention, which illustrates the TCP connection.

Figure 7 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of the black mask EMI protection layer of the present invention. Preferably, the resistance of the black mask is less than 10 ohms/unit area. In one embodiment, the black mask includes: a CrO_x/CrN_x/Cr(350/350/1020<img file="TW200604635A_D0002.tif" />)Floor.

In the embodiment of Figure 4, an integrated metal heater 80 (shown in black) is used to replace the ITO heater layer. In a preferred embodiment, the metal heater is patterned on the top of the passivation layer of the thin film transistor (TFT) and then covered with another passivation layer to electrically isolate the metal layer from the pixel capacitor. Because the heater layer is closer to the liquid crystal layer, the thermal resistance between the heater and the liquid crystal layer is reduced, thereby reducing the amount of electricity required to heat the liquid crystal layer. Furthermore, since there are fewer intervening layers between the heater and the liquid crystal layer, less power is required to heat the liquid crystal layer.

Fig. 8 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of a metal heater layer of the present invention. Preferably, the integrated metal heater is hidden behind the black mask EMI layer, so that each part of the heater is invisible and each part of the heater does not interfere with the pixel aperture. The LCD liquid crystal (LC) flow system is heated to maintain the response time of the display module at a lower temperature (usually a temperature lower than 0°C) (ie, to prevent image blur due to fast image movement). To achieve this goal, the previous solution involves optical stacking or bonding a cover glass to the front or back of the LCD covered with an ITO layer. The resistance is selected to generate when the heater voltage is applied, which is typically 2 watts. / Display area of power consumption per unit area. This typical method is costly (for example, heater glass is expensive) and electrical termination is labor intensive (that is, conductive busbars and related wire/foil leads are required). What's more, typical heating technology is susceptible to dealing with the damage caused by the unusable LCD. These previous heater technologies also have optical problems due to reduced light transmittance and increased peripheral light reflection. Therefore, these typical LCD systems have reduced image brightness and contrast.

The integrated metal heater of the present invention is composed of the structure in the LCD to perform the heater function. The integrated metal heater is preferably made by two additional photolithography steps, which increases the cost of the LCD cell, but is only a small part of the cost of an external heater. The metal heater is preferably optically hidden under the black mask (BM). Therefore, the light transmittance and image brightness of the LCD are not degraded, the peripheral light reflection is not increased, the image contrast is not degraded, and there is no problem with the electrical termination of the heater. The electrical termination is preferably done automatically by the conventional TCP and anisotropic conductive film (ACF) termination. The TCP connection between the LCD and the display electronics is advantageous because it provides a flexible connection.

Preferably, the heater pattern is composed of a horizontal and vertical grid of control resistance heater conductors, and the low-resistance horizontal "heater +" bus is located at the top of the vertical grid (for example: Preferably, it is less than or equal to 0.5 ohm) and the low-resistance "heater-" busbar is located at the bottom of the vertical grid. Preferably, all parts of the heater grid are located outside the active pixel aperture and are hidden under the black mask so as to be invisible. The actual heater grid pattern is arranged to minimize the capacitive coupling between the heater grid lines and the gate and source bus lines. In a preferred embodiment, there are heater grid lines below each of the horizontal and vertical feet of the black cover.

Preferably, the heater grid is covered with an insulating dielectric that has a breakdown potential exceeding 100 volts of direct current (DC). The connection to the heater (ie, the bus bar adjacent to the bottom of the source TCP) is preferably to arrange the line to the relevant trace of the source TCP. Heater-preferably connected to the ground potential of the source PCB. The connection to the heater + (ie: the bus on the top or the bus on the edge opposite to the source TCP) is preferably to arrange the wiring on the exposed area of the back glass (ie: the TFT board). Connect the ACF to the heater and the black cover EMIFPC. During heater operation, the heater + is preferably connected to 28 volts DC through the heater and the black cover EMI FPC. When the heater is not operating, the heater + connection is preferably connected to the heater-and grounded.

In a preferred embodiment, all the features of the patterned heater including the heater + and heater-bus bar are covered by a black mask on the assembled LCD cell, so that there is no heater pattern or heater bus. The row feature is visible in the displayed image. Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of a heater circuit of the present invention.

Figures 10A and 10B illustrate other integrated heater designs. Figure 10A illustrates a vertical parallel heater design. In this embodiment, the heater conductive system is preferably placed directly under the source bus line. The heater line is preferably narrower than the bus line and does not intrude into the sub-pixel aperture. This system minimizes the capacitive coupling to the pixel capacitor and eliminates the decrease in light transmittance of the panel due to the heater. Figure 10B illustrates an example of a grid design with 525 horizontal lines and 525 vertical lines. In this embodiment, the heater conduction system is preferably placed directly under the source and gate bus lines, and is narrower than the bus line without intruding into the sub-pixel aperture. In alternative embodiments, the number of horizontal and vertical heater lines can be changed. For example, the heater grid pattern may be 525 horizontal lines and 1573 vertical lines, 525 horizontal lines and 787 vertical lines, or 768 half-width horizontal lines and 1536 vertical lines. In an alternative embodiment, the heater grid pattern can be changed to provide a larger heater grid density at the periphery of the display. The heater grid density will decrease as it moves toward the center of the display. Placing a higher density grid pattern on the periphery allows more thermal energy to be applied to the edge of the display, taking into account the higher thermal mass due to the bezel attachment on the periphery of the display. In other words, due to the attachment of the tray, more heat energy is needed around the display to achieve the same degree of heating of the display. Therefore, the heat rise of the display is substantially consistent with the edge and the center of the display.

As mentioned, the integrated metal heater of the present invention is applied by the conventional bus metalization technology. Figure 11 illustrates an embodiment of a TFT design of the present invention, which has an integrated heater.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, it is also preferable that the thermal sensor 82 is placed inside the glass plate. Preferably, the sensor is close to the heater layer to detect the heat input to the liquid crystal layer, thereby providing real-time feedback to the system. The integrated thermal sensor is also applied to the TFT array layer, preferably under the black mask EMI layer. In this embodiment, the thermal resistance is reduced, resulting in a faster response time of the thermal sensor and heater control.

Since there is no need to purchase a separate thermal sensor element, the integrated thermal sensor of the present invention provides an efficient and low-cost solution. Furthermore, it does not require any processing time and manpower to attach a thermal sensor to the LCD or attach a thermal sensor circuit to a circuit. With this integrated thermal sensor, the signal attachment occurs automatically with the ACF attachment of the TCP attachment. The close contact between the sensor and the liquid crystal fluid provides higher accuracy and less time lag between the actual fluid temperature and the thermal sensor reading.

In a preferred embodiment, a series/parallel diode array is embedded in the TFT array to sense the temperature of the LC fluid. Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment of a diode array 88 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the thermal sensor is composed of a diode array (for example: 3 in series and 10 in parallel) built in the TFT array layer.

The anode of the top-level array is preferably connected to a common node and is derived from the source TCP and becomes a "thermal sensor +". The cathode at the bottom of the diode array is preferably connected to a common node and comes from the source TCP to become a "thermal sensor-".

The number of diodes in each array can be changed. However, in a preferred embodiment, as the LC flow system changes from -60°C to +100°C, the number of diodes will be selected to provide in the diode string One of the forward bias potentials has a nominal 2.5V to 5.0V change.

In a preferred embodiment, a thermal sensor diode array according to the present invention is located and electrically connected between each source TCP. For example, if there are four TCPs, there will be three thermal sensor diode arrays. Figure 13 illustrates a plan view of a flat panel display showing the placement of the thermal sensor.

Figure 14 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the electrical components and connections of a display which is incorporated into the flat panel display of the present invention.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described. Those skilled in the art will understand that many changes and modifications can be made to affect the described invention and remain within the scope of the claimed invention. Inside. Therefore, many of the elements indicated above can be changed or replaced with different elements, which will provide the same result and belong to the spirit of the claimed invention. Therefore, the present invention is intended to be limited to only those specified by the scope of the patent application.

<p>10. . . Flat panel display</p><p>12. . . Front panel</p><p>14. . . Back panel</p><p>16. . . Polarizing layer</p><p>18, 20. . . Indium tin oxide (ITO) layer</p><p>twenty two. . . First index matching dielectric layer</p><p>twenty four. . . Second index matching dielectric layer</p><p>26. . . First index matching dielectric layer</p><p>28. . . Second index matching dielectric layer</p><p>30. . . Outer edge of front ITO layer</p><p>32. . . Outer edge of front polarizer</p><p>34. . . Outer edge of the back ITO layer</p><p>36. . . The outer edge of the back polarizer</p><p>40, 42. . . Pressure sensitive adhesive layer</p><p>50. . . Flat panel display</p><p>52. . . Front polarizer</p><p>54. . . Pressure sensitive adhesive layer</p><p>56. . . LCD color plate or glass layer</p><p>58. . . Black mask</p><p>60. . . Color filter layer</p><p>62. . . Vcom ITO</p><p>64. . . Polyamide alignment layer</p><p>65. . . Liquid crystal layer</p><p>66. . . TFT array layer</p><p>68. . . Insulator layer</p><p>70. . . ITO heater layer</p><p>72. . . LCD TFT board or glass</p><p>74. . . The second pressure sensitive adhesive layer</p><p>76. . . Back polarizing layer</p><p>78. . . Anti-reflective coating</p><p>80. . . Heater layer</p><p>82. . . Thermal sensor</p><p>83. . . Light-transmitting resin dielectric (insulating) layer</p><p>84. . . Tape and Reel (TCP) connection</p><p>86. . . EMI bonding pad</p><p>88. . . Diode array</p>

Figure 1 illustrates a conventional flat panel display system; Figure 2 illustrates an embodiment of the flat panel display of the present invention; Figure 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the flat panel display of the present invention; Figure 4 illustrates the present invention An alternative embodiment of the flat panel display of the invention; Figure 5 is a plan view illustrating an example of an example of a flat panel display of the present invention, which shows a flexible tape and reel (TCP) connection; Figure 6 illustrates one of a display The three-dimensional exploded view of the embodiment, this type of display is incorporated into the flat panel display of the present invention; Figure 7 is a plan view illustrating an embodiment of the black mask (BM) electromagnetic interference (EMI) protective layer of the present invention; Figure 8 is an illustration A plan view of an embodiment of a metal heater layer of the present invention; Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of a heater circuit of the present invention; Figures 10A and 10B illustrate other integrated heater designs; Figure 11 An embodiment of a thin film transistor (TFT) design of the present invention, which has an integrated heater; Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment of a thermal sensor diode array of the present invention; Figure 13 It is a plan view of a flat panel display showing the placement of the thermal sensor; and Figure 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical components and connections of a display which is incorporated into the flat panel display of the present invention.