TWI848463B - Biomedical detection panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A biomedical detection panel is provided. The biomedical detection panel includes a plurality of detection pixels. Each detection pixel includes a first transistor, a voltage stabilizing block, a detection electrode and a voltage selection block. The first transistor has a first end receiving a detection driving signal, a control end receiving a switching signal, and a second end. The voltage stabilizing block is coupled to the second end of the first transistor to provide a detection control signal. The voltage selection block is coupled to the voltage stabilizing block and the detection electrode to receive the detection control signal, and receive a DC level and an AC signal. The voltage selection block selectively provides one of the DC level and the AC signal to the detection electrodes based on the detection control signal.

Description

Biomedical test panels

The present invention relates to a panel, and in particular to a biomedical detection panel.

Electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD) changes the wetting properties of the dielectric layer on the electrode by changing the voltage applied to the electrode, thereby moving and separating the droplets, and then extracting nanoliters of droplets for application in biomedical testing. The advantages of dielectric wetting are: simple manufacturing process, controllable quantitative droplets, low price and can replace micro-actuators and micro-mixers. Traditional pixel circuits contain more components (such as thin-film transistors (TFT), capacitors, etc.), making the pixel area large, so that it cannot meet the needs of high resolution.

The present invention provides a biomedical detection panel that can simplify components in detection pixels and wiring in the panel to meet the requirements of high resolution.

The biomedical detection panel of the present invention includes a plurality of detection pixels. Each detection pixel includes a first transistor, a voltage regulator block, a detection electrode, and a voltage selection block. The first transistor has a first end for receiving a detection drive signal, a control end for receiving a switch signal, and a second end. The voltage regulator block is coupled to the second end of the first transistor to provide a detection control signal. The voltage selection block is coupled to the voltage regulator block and the detection electrode to receive the detection control signal, and receives a DC level and an AC signal. The voltage selection block selectively provides one of the DC level and the AC signal to the detection electrode based on the detection control signal.

Based on the above, in the biomedical detection panel of the embodiment of the present invention, the biomedical detection panel can be configured with only detection pixels, detection drive lines, switch signal lines, AC signal lines and ground lines, and each detection pixel can be composed of a first transistor, a voltage regulator block, a detection electrode and a voltage selection block. Thereby, the area of each detection pixel can be reduced and the number of signal lines can be reduced to increase the distribution density of the detection pixels, thereby meeting the demand for high resolution.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, embodiments are given below and described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by ordinary technicians in the field to which the present invention belongs. It will be further understood that those terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology and the present invention, and will not be interpreted as an idealized or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined as such in this document.

It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or parts, these elements, components, regions, and/or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, the "first element", "component", "region", "layer" or "part" discussed below can be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or part without departing from the teachings of this article.

The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not restrictive. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms, including "at least one". " or "means" and/or". As used herein, the terms "and/or" include any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "include" and/or "include" specify the presence and/or parts of the features, regions, entireties, steps, operations, elements, components and/or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, entireties, steps, operations, elements, components and/or combinations thereof.

FIG1 is a system block diagram of a biomedical detection panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG1 , in the present embodiment, the biomedical detection panel 100 is, for example, a dielectric wet panel, and includes, for example, a plurality of detection pixels 110, wherein the detection pixels 110 may be arranged in an array or in a specific geometric shape (e.g., a pentagon, a hexagon), but the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

Furthermore, the biomedical detection panel 100 may further include a plurality of detection drive lines SL, a plurality of switch signal lines GL, and a plurality of AC signal lines ACL. The detection drive line SL is coupled to the detection pixel 110 to transmit the detection drive signal SLS from an external circuit (e.g., a control circuit) to the detection pixel 110. The switch signal line GL is coupled to the detection pixel 110 to transmit the switch signal SLG from an external circuit (e.g., a control circuit) to the detection pixel 110. The AC signal line ACL is coupled to the detection pixel 110 to transmit the AC signal ACT from an external circuit (e.g., a control circuit) to the detection pixel 110. Furthermore, although not shown, the biomedical detection panel 100 may be configured with power lines and ground lines to transmit a voltage and/or a ground voltage to the detection pixel 110 .

In the present embodiment, each detection pixel 110 includes a first transistor T1, a voltage regulator block 111, a detection electrode EL1, and a voltage selection block BSL. The first transistor T1 has a first end for receiving a detection drive signal SLS, a control end for receiving a switch signal SLG, and a second end. The voltage regulator block 111 is coupled to the second end of the first transistor T1 to provide a detection control signal VCS. The voltage selection block BSL is coupled to the voltage regulator block 111 and the detection electrode EL1 to receive the detection control signal VCS, and receives a DC level and an AC signal ACT. The voltage selection block BSL selectively provides one of the DC level and the AC signal ACT to the detection electrode EL1 based on the detection control signal VCS.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the biomedical detection panel 100 may only be configured with detection pixels 110, detection drive lines SL, switch signal lines GL, AC signal lines ACL, and ground lines (not shown), and each detection pixel 110 may be composed of a first transistor T1, a voltage regulating block 111, a detection electrode EL1, and a voltage selection block BSL. Thus, the area of each detection pixel 110 may be reduced and the number of signal lines may be reduced, so as to increase the distribution density of the detection pixels 110, thereby meeting the requirements of high resolution.

In the present embodiment, the voltage selection block BSL includes a second transistor T2 and a third transistor T3, wherein the second transistor T2 is a P-type transistor and the third transistor T3 is an N-type transistor. The second transistor T2 has a first end for receiving an AC signal ACT, a control end for receiving a detection control signal VCS, and a second end coupled to the detection electrode EL1. The third transistor T3 has a first end for coupling to the detection electrode EL1, a control end for receiving the detection control signal VCS, and a second end for receiving a DC level (here, a ground voltage is taken as an example).

In the embodiment of the present invention, the frequency of the AC signal ACT may be between 10 kHz and 1 MHz. Moreover, the higher the frequency of the AC signal ACT, the faster the detection speed of the biomedical detection panel 100 is. However, this depends on the detection environment and the target object to be detected, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG2A is a circuit diagram of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG1 and FIG2A , in this embodiment, the detection pixel 110a is substantially the same as the detection pixel 110, except that the voltage regulation block 111a includes a first capacitor Ccp, wherein the same or similar components are labeled with the same or similar reference numerals. In this embodiment, the first capacitor Ccp is coupled between the inverted signal ACTB of the AC signal ACT and the second end of the first transistor T1 to regulate the voltage of the second end of the first transistor T1 and provide the regulated result as the detection control signal VCS.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the voltage regulating block 111a may only include the first capacitor Ccp, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram of a driving waveform of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B . In this embodiment, three frame periods FRn to FRn+2 are shown as examples for explanation, where n is a pilot number. In the frame period FRn, the detection pixel 110a is driven by AC (i.e., during the AC driving period), i.e., when the switch signal SLG is the gate high voltage VGH, the detection driving signal SLS of the ground voltage (i.e., 0 volts) is output from the second end of the first transistor T1 to form the detection control signal VCS. Then, the 0 volt detection driving signal SLS turns on the second transistor T2 and turns off the third transistor T3, so that the AC signal ACT is transmitted to the detection electrode EL1. Thereby, the voltage selection block BSL provides the AC signal ACT to the detection electrode EL1 based on the detection control signal VCS, that is, the voltage V _EL1 on the detection electrode EL1 is an AC signal to form the detection pixel 110a driven by AC.

In the frame period FRn+1, the detection pixel 110a is driven by DC (i.e., during the DC driving period), that is, when the switch signal SLG is the gate high voltage VGH, the detection driving signal SLS of the panel high voltage VCCP is output from the second end of the first transistor T1 to form the detection control signal VCS. Then, the high voltage of the panel high voltage VCCP turns on the third transistor T3 and turns off the second transistor T2, so that the ground voltage is transmitted to the detection electrode EL1. Thereby, the voltage selection block BSL provides the ground voltage (ie, the DC level) to the detection electrode EL1 based on the detection control signal VCS. That is, the voltage V _EL1 on the detection electrode EL1 is the DC level to form the detection pixel 110 a driven by DC.

In the frame period FRn+2, the detection pixel 110a is driven by AC, so the description of the frame period FRn may be referred to and will not be repeated here.

In this embodiment, the waveform of the detection control signal VCS during the DC driving period is inverted to the waveform of the detection control signal VCS during the AC driving period. Further, the detection control signal VCS is the panel high voltage VCCP during the DC driving period (e.g., the frame period FRn+1), but during the AC driving period (e.g., the frame period FRn or FRn+2), the detection control signal VCS is the ground voltage (i.e., 0V).

In this embodiment, the detection drive signal SLS switches between the panel high voltage VCCP and the ground voltage (ie, 0V), and the switch signal SLG switches between the gate high voltage VGH and the gate low voltage VGL, wherein the panel high voltage VCCP may be lower than the gate high voltage VGH.

In this embodiment, the ratio of the number of consecutive DC drive periods to the number of consecutive AC drive periods is 1:1, that is, one DC drive period is followed by one AC drive period. However, in the embodiment of the present invention, the ratio of the number of consecutive DC drive periods to the number of consecutive AC drive periods is x:y, where x and y are positive integers greater than or equal to 1 (for example, 1:3 or 2:4), which depends on the detection environment and the target object to be detected, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

FIG3A is a circuit diagram of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG1 and FIG3A , in this embodiment, the detection pixel 110b is substantially the same as the detection pixel 110, except that the voltage regulating block 111b includes an inverter INV1, and the voltage selection block BSLb further includes a fourth transistor T4, wherein the fourth transistor T4 is an N-type transistor, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. In this embodiment, the inverter INV1 has an input end coupled to the second end of the first transistor T1, a positive power end receiving the system voltage VCC, a negative power end receiving the ground voltage, and an output end providing a detection control signal VCS, and the fourth transistor T4 has a first end receiving the AC signal ACT, a control end coupled to the second end of the first transistor T1, and a second end coupled to the detection electrode EL1.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the voltage regulating block 111b may only include the inverter INV1, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. At this time, no capacitor is configured in the detection pixel 110b, so the area of the detection pixel 110b can be greatly reduced, so as to improve the distribution density of the detection pixel 110b.

FIG3B is a schematic diagram of a driving waveform of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Please refer to FIG1, FIG3A and FIG3B. In this embodiment, three frame periods FRm~FRm+2 are shown as examples for explanation, where m is a derivative number. In the frame period FRm, the detection pixel 110b is driven by AC (i.e., during the AC driving period), i.e., when the switch signal SLG is the gate high voltage VGH, the detection driving signal SLS of the panel high voltage VCCP is output from the second end of the first transistor T1, and the inverter INV1 provides the detection control signal VCS of the ground voltage (i.e., 0 volts). Then, the second end of the first transistor T1 outputs the panel high voltage VCCP to turn on the fourth transistor T4, and the 0V detection control signal VCS turns on the second transistor T2 and turns off the third transistor T3, so that the AC signal ACT is transmitted to the detection electrode EL1, wherein the second transistor T2 and the fourth transistor T4 act as a transmission gate. Thus, the voltage selection block BSL provides the AC signal ACT to the detection electrode EL1 based on the detection control signal VCS, that is, the voltage V _EL1 on the detection electrode EL1 is an AC signal, so as to form an AC-driven detection pixel 110b.

In the frame period FRm+1, the detection pixel 110b is driven by direct current (i.e., during the direct current driving period), that is, when the switch signal SLG is the gate high voltage VGH, the detection driving signal SLS of 0 volts is output from the second end of the first transistor T1, and the inverter INV1 provides the detection control signal VCS of the panel high voltage VCCP. Then, the detection control signal VCS of the panel high voltage VCCP turns on the third transistor T3 and turns off the second transistor T2, and at the same time, the fourth transistor T4 is controlled by the 0 volt output from the second end of the first transistor T1 and is turned off, so that the ground voltage is transmitted to the detection electrode EL1. Thereby, the voltage selection block BSL provides the ground voltage (ie, the DC level) to the detection electrode EL1 based on the detection control signal VCS. That is, the voltage V _EL1 on the detection electrode EL1 is the DC level to form the detection pixel 110 b driven by DC.

In the frame period FRm+2, the detection pixel 110b is driven by AC, so the description of the frame period FRm can be referred to and will not be repeated here. In addition, in this embodiment, the system voltage VCC can be the panel high voltage VCCP, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto.

In summary, in the biomedical detection panel of the embodiment of the present invention, the biomedical detection panel can be configured with only detection pixels, detection drive lines, switch signal lines, AC signal lines and ground lines, and each detection pixel can be composed of a first transistor, a voltage regulator block, a detection electrode and a voltage selection block. Thereby, the area of each detection pixel can be reduced and the number of signal lines can be reduced to increase the distribution density of the detection pixels, thereby meeting the demand for high resolution.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above by the embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the relevant technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be defined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100: Biomedical detection panel 110, 110a, 110b: Detection pixels 111, 111a, 111b: Voltage regulator block ACL: AC signal line ACT: AC signal ACTB: Inverter signals BSL, BSLb: Voltage selection block Ccp: First capacitor EL1: Detection electrodes FRn~FRn+2, FRm~FRm+2: Screen period GL: Switch signal line INV1: Inverter SL: Detection drive line SLG: Switch signal SLS: Detection drive signal T1: First transistor T2: Second transistor T3: Third transistor T4: Fourth transistor VCCP: Panel high voltage VCS: Detection control signal V _EL1 : Voltage VGH: Gate high voltage VGL: Gate low voltage

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of a biomedical detection panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a circuit diagram of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is a driving waveform diagram of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3A is a circuit diagram of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3B is a driving waveform diagram of a detection pixel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100: Biomedical detection panel 110: Detection pixel 111: Voltage regulator block ACL: AC signal line ACT: AC signal BSL: Voltage selection block EL1: Detection electrode GL: Switch signal line SL: Detection drive line SLG: Switch signal SLS: Detection drive signal T1: First transistor T2: Second transistor T3: Third transistor VCS: Detection control signal

Claims (11)

A biomedical detection panel includes: A plurality of detection pixels, each of which includes: A first transistor having a first end for receiving a detection drive signal, a control end for receiving a switch signal, and a second end; A voltage regulator block coupled to the second end of the first transistor to provide a detection control signal; A detection electrode; and A voltage selection block coupled to the voltage regulator block and the detection electrode to receive the detection control signal and receive a DC level and an AC signal, wherein the voltage selection block selectively provides one of the DC level and the AC signal to the detection electrode based on the detection control signal. A biomedical detection panel as described in claim 1, wherein the voltage selection block includes: a second transistor having a first end for receiving the AC signal, a control end for receiving the detection control signal, and a second end coupled to the detection electrode; and a third transistor having a first end coupled to the detection electrode, a control end for receiving the detection control signal, and a second end for receiving the DC level. The biomedical detection panel as described in claim 2, wherein the voltage selection block further includes: A fourth transistor having a first end for receiving the AC signal, a control end coupled to the second end of the first transistor, and a second end coupled to the detection electrode. The biomedical detection panel as described in claim 1, wherein the voltage stabilization block includes: A first capacitor coupled between an inverted signal of the AC signal and the second end of the first transistor to provide the detection control signal. A biomedical detection panel as described in claim 1, wherein the voltage regulation block includes: an inverter having an input terminal coupled to the second terminal of the first transistor, and an output terminal providing the detection control signal. The biomedical detection panel as described in claim 1, wherein the frequency of the AC signal is between 10 kHz and 1 MHz. A biomedical detection panel as described in claim 1, wherein the detection drive signal switches between a panel high voltage and a ground voltage, and the switch signal switches between a gate high voltage and a gate low voltage, wherein the panel high voltage is lower than the gate high voltage. A biomedical testing panel as described in claim 1, wherein the DC potential is a ground voltage. A biomedical detection panel as described in claim 1, wherein during a DC drive period, the voltage selection block provides the DC level to the detection electrode based on the detection control signal, and during an AC drive period, the voltage selection block provides the AC signal to the detection electrode based on the detection control signal. A biomedical detection panel as described in claim 9, wherein the ratio of the number of consecutive DC drive periods to the number of consecutive AC drive periods is x:y, wherein x and y are positive integers greater than or equal to 1, respectively. A biomedical detection panel as described in claim 9, wherein the waveform of the detection control signal during the DC drive period is inverted to the waveform of the detection control signal during the AC drive period.

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