INTEGRATION OF TOUCH SCREEN AND FINGERPRINT SENSOR ASSEMBLY

• US 20160004899A1
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Published: 01/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Goodix Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Pi, Bo, He, Yi
• Granted Patent: US 9,886,613 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1329 Protecting the fingerprint sensor against damage caused by the finger

Abstract

Devices, systems, and techniques are provided for integrating a touch screen with a fingerprint detection module as an assembly for a mobile device. The integrated touch screen/fingerprint sensor assembly includes at least two glass layers bonded together to provide overall mechanical strength for the touch screen display. The upper glass layer is a toughened/hardened cover glass that does not have an opening for fitting the fingerprint detection module through this glass layer. The lower glass layer is a support glass layer underneath the hardened cover glass to provide additional mechanical strength and to include an opening at a location close to an end of the support glass layer. The integrated touch screen/fingerprint sensor assembly also includes a fingerprint detection module positioned within the opening of the support glass layer and directly underneath the hardened cover glass.

Claims

1. A touch screen assembly for a mobile device, comprising:

a hardened cover glass at a top layer of the touch screen assembly;

a support glass layer underneath the hardened cover glass and including an opening through the support glass layer,

wherein the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer are bonded to provide a mechanical strength for supporting the touch screen assembly; and

a fingerprint detection module positioned within the opening of the support glass layer and directly underneath the hardened cover glass.

2. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, further comprising a fingerprint sensor mark formed on the surface of the hardened cover glass and located directly above the fingerprint detection module to indicate the position of the fingerprint detection module.

3. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, further comprising a colored layer sandwiched between the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer, wherein the fingerprint detection module is attached to an area of the colored layer exposed by the opening support glass layer.

4. The touch screen assembly of claim 3, wherein the colored layer is configured with a layer providing a color, a pattern, or both color and pattern to make the fingerprint detection module invisible from a user looking at the touch screen assembly from above the hardened cover glass.

5. The touch screen assembly of claim 3, further comprising an adhesive layer on the underside of the layer providing the color, pattern, or both color and pattern for attaching the fingerprint detection module to the layer providing the color, pattern, or both color and pattern.

6. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the boundary of the fingerprint detection module is not in contact with the sidewall of the opening.

7. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, further comprising a transparent conducting film (TCF) layer fabricated on the bottom surface of the support glass layer.

8. The touch screen assembly of claim 7, wherein the TCF layer includes an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer.

9. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the fingerprint detection module includes:

a printed circuit board having integrated circuits; and

a fingerprint sensor chip for collecting fingerprint data, wherein a first side of the fingerprint sensor chip is affixed to the printed circuit board and a second side of the fingerprint sensor chip is attached to the underside of the layer providing the color, pattern, or both color and pattern.

10. The touch screen assembly of claim 9, wherein the fingerprint detection module further includes a flexible printed circuit on the underside of the printed circuit board for coupling fingerprint sensor signals collected by the fingerprint sensor chip to a main circuit board of the mobile device.

11. The touch screen assembly of claim 9, wherein the fingerprint detection module further includes a metal ring structure placed around the fingerprint sensor chip and formed on the underside of the layer providing the color, pattern, or both color and pattern, wherein the metal ring is part of a capacitive touch sensor to detect contact by an object with the hardened cover glass.

12. The touch screen assembly of claim 9, wherein the fingerprint detection module further includes:

one or more light emitting sources configured to emit detection light; and

one or more biosensors configured to monitor one or more human bio-feature signals.

13. The touch screen assembly of claim 12, wherein the human bio-feature signals include a heartbeat signal and an oxygen saturation level of the blood.

14. The touch screen assembly of claim 12, wherein the one or more biosensors includes one or more photodetectors.

15. The touch screen assembly of claim 12, wherein the one or more light emitting sources include one or more light emitting diode (LED) chips.

16. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the hardened cover glass has a thickness between 100 μ

m to 400 μ

m.

17. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the support glass layer has a thickness between 100 μ

m to 550 μ

m.

18. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the hardened cover glass eliminates an opening for fitting a fingerprint detection module through the hardened cover glass.

19. The touch screen assembly of claim 1, wherein the support glass layer does not require hardening.

20. A touch screen electronic device integrated with a fingerprint detection mechanism, comprising:

a frame;

a touch screen assembly surrounded and secured by the frame, wherein the touch screen assembly includes;

a hardened cover glass at a top layer of the touch screen assembly and for receiving contact by an object;

a support glass layer underneath the hardened cover glass and including an opening through the support glass layer,

wherein the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer are bonded to provide required mechanical strength for the touch screen assembly; and

a fingerprint detection module positioned within the opening of the support glass layer and directly underneath the hardened cover glass; and

a main circuit board between the touch screen assembly and the back cover of the frame.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the touch screen assembly further comprises a fingerprint sensor mark formed on the surface of the hardened cover glass and located directly above the fingerprint detection module to indicate the position of the fingerprint detection module.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the touch screen assembly further comprises a colored layer sandwiched between the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer, wherein the fingerprint detection module is attached to an area of the colored layer exposed by the opening of the support glass layer.

23. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the colored layer is configured with a color, a pattern, or both color and pattern to make the fingerprint detection module invisible from a user looking at the touch screen assembly from above the hardened cover glass.

24. The electronic device of claim 22, wherein the touch screen assembly further comprises an adhesive layer for bonding the fingerprint detection module to the colored layer.

25. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the boundary of the fingerprint detection module is not in contact with the sidewall of the opening.

26. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the touch screen assembly further comprises a transparent conducting film (TCF) layer fabricated on the bottom surface of the support glass layer.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the TCF layer includes an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer.

28. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the fingerprint detection module includes:

a printed circuit board having integrated circuits; and

a fingerprint sensor chip for collecting fingerprint data, wherein a first side of the fingerprint sensor chip is affixed to the printed circuit board and a second side of the fingerprint sensor chip is attached to the underside of the colored layer.

29. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the fingerprint detection module further includes a flexible printed circuit on the underside of the printed circuit board for coupling fingerprint sensor signals collected by the fingerprint sensor chip to the main circuit board of the electronic device.

30. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the fingerprint detection module further includes a metal ring structure placed around the fingerprint sensor chip and formed on the underside of the colored layer, wherein the metal ring is part of a capacitive touch sensor to detect contact by an object with the hardened cover glass.

31. The electronic device of claim 20, further comprising one or more buttons on one or more sides of the frame for controlling operations of the fingerprint sensor.

32. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the hardened cover glass has a thickness between 100 μ

m to 400 μ

m.

33. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the support glass layer has a thickness between 100 μ

m to 550 μ

m.

34. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the hardened cover glass eliminates an opening for fitting a fingerprint detection module through the hardened cover glass.

35. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the support glass layer does not require hardening.

36. A method for assembling a touch screen assembly, comprising:

preparing a hardened cover glass without forming an opening for accommodating a fingerprint detection module;

preparing a support glass layer by forming an opening for accommodating a fingerprint detection module;

bonding the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer, wherein the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer collectively provide a mechanical strength for supporting the touch screen assembly; and

placing a fingerprint detection module within the opening of the support glass layer and attaching the fingerprint detection module directly underneath the hardened cover glass.

37. The method of claim 36, including:

disposing a colored layer sandwiched between the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer, wherein the fingerprint detection module is attached to an area of the colored layer exposed by the opening support glass layer.

38. A device having a touch screen and a fingerprint sensor, comprising:

a touch screen including one or more touch sensitive layers which define a touch sensitive area;

a fingerprint sensor module displaced from and near the touch sensitive area;

a hardened cover glass having a spatially contiguous glass surface to fully cover both the touch sensitive area and the fingerprint sensor module; and

a support glass layer underneath the hardened cover glass and in directly contact with the one or more touch sensitive layers, and including an opening through the support glass layer,

wherein the hardened cover glass and the support glass layer are bonded to provide a desired mechanical strength for the touch screen; and

wherein the fingerprint sensor module is positioned within the opening of the support glass layer and directly underneath the hardened cover glass to sense an object via the hardened cover glass.

39. The device as in claim 38, wherein the device includes a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a portable computer, a wireless device, a laptop, a game machine, or a multimedia device.

40. A touch sensor assembly for a mobile device, comprising:

a hardened cover glass at the top of the touch sensor assembly; and

a fingerprint detection module positioned directly underneath the hardened cover glass.

41. The touch sensor assembly of claim 40, wherein the touch sensor assembly includes a touch screen.

42. The touch sensor assembly of claim 41, wherein the touch sensor assembly includes the touch screen integrated with the fingerprint detection module.

43. The touch sensor assembly of claim 40, wherein the hardened cover glass is partially etched to form a housing to receive the fingerprint detection module.