Input member with capacitive sensor

• US 10,262,179 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Miller, Thayne M., Bussat, Jean-Marie, Hotelling, Steven P., Cohen, Sawyer I., Cater, Tyler B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Ruiping
• Application Number:
  US15/585,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20170235403A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 382124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/975 using a capacitive movable element
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

Input members with capacitive sensors are disclosed. In one embodiment of an electronic button, a first circuit is configured to capture a fingerprint of a user'"'"'s finger placed on the electronic button, and a second circuit is configured to sense a force applied to the electronic button by the user'"'"'s finger. The first circuit is further configured to provide temperature information to compensate for temperature sensitivities of the second circuit, and the second circuit is further configured to provide force information to the first circuit.

Claims

1. A method of operating an electronic button, comprising:

sensing, using a force sensor, a force applied to a surface of the electronic button; and

correcting the sensed force using a temperature measurement;

wherein a biometric sensor is configured to trigger the force sensor to sense the force responsive to human skin being detected by the biometric sensor.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sensed force takes one of a plurality of values, thereby representing a continuous measurement of force.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the sensed force exceeds a predefined level of force; and

triggering capture of a biometric by the biometric sensor when the sensed force is determined to exceed the predefined level of force.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

notifying a user when the sensed force exceeds the predefined level of force.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

concentrating force using a force concentrator coupled between the biometric sensor and the force sensor; and

translating motion of the biometric sensor into deflection of the force sensor using the force concentrator.

6. An electronic button, comprising:

a first circuit configured to sense a force applied to a surface of the electronic button;

a second circuit configured to capture a biometric on the surface of the electronic button; and

a third circuit configured to combine an orientation of the captured biometric and the sensed force to provide three dimensional control of an electronic device.

7. The electronic button of claim 6, wherein the second circuit is configured to capture the biometric responsive to the sensed force being greater than a predefined force for biometric capture.

8. The electronic button of claim 6, wherein the first circuit comprises a strain gauge and the second circuit comprises a capacitive biometric sensor.

9. The electronic button of claim 6, wherein the electronic button is mechanically decoupled from a housing surrounding the electronic button.

10. The electronic button of claim 6, wherein the second circuit is mounted directly on the first circuit.

11. The electronic button of claim 6, wherein the second circuit is integrally included within a semiconductor die that also includes the first circuit.

12. A method of operating an electronic button, comprising:

sensing, using a force sensor, a force applied to a surface of the electronic button; and

capturing, using a biometric sensor, a biometric on the surface of the electronic button; and

combining an orientation of the captured biometric and the sensed force to provide three dimensional control of an electronic device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the biometric sensor is configured to trigger the force sensor to sense the force responsive to human skin being detected by the biometric sensor.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining, by a processor of the electronic button, whether the sensed force is within a range of forces at which the biometric can properly be captured.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein:

sensing the force occurs over a period of time, resulting in two or more force values; and

the method further comprises determining, by a processor of the electronic button, whether the two or more force values indicate that the force applied to the surface of the electronic button is stable over the period of time.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein capturing the biometric occurs responsive to determining that the two or more force values indicate that the force applied to the surface of the electronic button is stable over the period of time.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the force sensor is further configured to trigger capturing a biometric responsive to sensing a predefined level of force applied to the surface of the electronic button.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising adjusting, by a processor of the electronic button, the captured biometric based on the sensed force.

19. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the first circuit is further configured to provide force information to the second circuit, and the second circuit is further configured to determine when to capture a biometric based on the force information provided by the first circuit.

20. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the biometric sensor is configured to capture the biometric responsive to sensing the force.