Laptop touchpad with integrated antenna

• US 6,380,930 B1
• Filed: 03/09/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Elan Microelectronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: K-Tech Services Limited
• Inventors: Van Ruymbeke, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe, Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): LESPERANCE, JEAN E
• Application Number:
  US09/264,802
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/175, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178/18.02, 178/18.03, 178/18.04, 178/18.05
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/182 with special features, e.g. for use in industrial environments; grounding or shielding against radio frequency interference [RFI] or electromagnetical interference [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry

Abstract

An antenna for wireless communication into a touchpad module. A touchpad module, which can be inserted into an aperture in a laptop computer, includes a touch sensor for detecting touch in a touch sensor circuit for processing signals from the touch sensor. The antenna is connected to a port (input or output) on the touchpad module. The touchpad provides an open aperture for the antenna to communicate with the outside world, without being blocked by the shielding used in a laptop computer.

Claims

1. A computer having shielding with an aperture in said shielding, said computer including a touchpad module mounted in said aperture, said touchpad module comprising:

a touch sensor for detecting touch;

a touch sensor circuit, coupled to said touch sensor, for processing signals from said touch sensor;

an antenna mounted on said touchpad module;

a and

an output port coupled to said antenna and said touch sensor circuit, for providing signals from said antenna and said touch sensor to said computer.

2. The module of claim 1 further comprising:

a flex circuit having said touch sensor on a first portion and said touch sensor circuit on a second portion, said touch sensor being configured to be placed within an aperture of laptop computer.

3. The touchpad module of claim 1 further comprising:

an array of conductive lines in said touch sensor;

an antenna receiver circuit; and

a switching circuit configured to couple at least one of said sensor lines to said antenna receiver circuit.

4. The touchpad module of claim 3 wherein said switching circuit is configured to alternate between a plurality of said sensor lines.

5. The touchpad module of claim 4 further comprising:

a directional circuit configured to determine a direction of a transmitted signal from relative signals received on different ones of said sensor lines.

6. The touchpad module of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises a ground plane of said touchpad module.

7. The touchpad module of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises an array of traces of said touch sensor.

8. The touchpad module of claim 7 wherein said antenna further comprises all the traces of said touchpad module, with a connection provided for connecting to a computer case as a ground plane.

9. The module of claim 1 further comprising:

a printed circuit board;

said touch sensor circuit being mounted on a first side of said printed circuit board; and

said antenna being mounted on the opposite side of said printed circuit board from said touch sensor circuit.

10. The module of claim 1 wherein said antenna is proximate a border of said module.

11. The module of claim 1 further comprising:

a port coupled to said antenna.

12. The module of claim 11 further comprising:

a circuit, having inputs coupled to said touch sensor circuit and said antenna, and an output coupled to said output port.

13. The module of claim 12 wherein said circuit is a switching circuit.

14. The module of claim 13 further comprising:

a receiver circuit coupled between said antenna and said switching circuit.

15. The module of claim 1 wherein said antenna comprises at least one loop around said module.

16. The module of claim 1 wherein said module includes a plurality of layers, one of said layers including said antenna.

17. The module of claim 1 wherein said port comprises an I/O port.

18. The module of claim 1 wherein said touch sensor comprises a capacitive array.

19. The module of claim 1 wherein said touch sensor comprises a resistive sensor.

20. The module of claim 1 wherein said touch sensor is configured to be placed within an aperture of a remote control unit, with said antenna being configured to act as a transmitting antenna.

21. A computer having shielding with an aperture in said shielding, said computer including a touchpad module mounted in said aperture, said touchpad module comprising:

a touch array for detecting touch;

a touch sensor circuit, coupled to said touch array, for processing signals from said touch array;

an antenna mounted on said touchpad module;

an output port coupled to said antenna and said touch sensor circuit for providing signals from said antenna and said touch sensor to said computer;

a switching circuit, having inputs coupled to said touch sensor circuit and said antenna, and an output coupled to said output port; and

a receiver circuit coupled between said antenna and said switching circuit.