Touch screen RFID tag reader

• US 7,928,965 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Rosenblatt, Michael Nathaniel, Hotelling, Steve Porter
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu; Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUBAJLO, JENNIFER L
• Application Number:
  US11/965,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-178
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/16 with feed intermediate between the extremities of the antenna, e.g. centre-fed dipole H01Q9/44 takes precedence

Abstract

The efficient incorporation of RFID circuitry within touch sensor panel circuitry is disclosed. The RFID antenna can be placed in the touch sensor panel, such that the touch sensor panel can now additionally function as an RFID transponder. No separate space-consuming RFID antenna is necessary. Loops (single or multiple) forming the loop antenna of the RFID circuit (for either reader or tag applications) can be formed from metal on the same layer as metal traces formed in the borders of a substrate. Forming loops from metal on the same layer as the metal traces are advantageous in that the loops can be formed during the same processing step as the metal traces, without requiring a separate metal layer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing radio frequency identification (RFID) and touch sensing capability, comprising:

a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including one or more substrates and a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines, the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines formed on one or more of the substrates; and

an RFID circuit, the RFID circuit including an antenna and a control circuit coupled to the antenna, the antenna formed by conductors multiplexed to perform a first RFID function during a first time period and a second function during a second time period and formed on a same side of the substrate as either the plurality of drive lines or the plurality of sense lines.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the touch sensor panel further comprising:

metal traces for connecting either the plurality of drive lines or the plurality of sense lines to a flex circuit;

wherein the antenna is formed from metal on the same layer as the metal traces.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a multiplexer coupled to the antenna for switching the antenna to function as either as an antenna or as an electromagnetic shield.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the antenna configured for providing optical uniformity.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, the antenna further comprising a loop antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the antenna further comprising a dipole antenna and the control circuit comprising a capacitance diode.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the RFID circuit configurable as either an RFID reader or an RFID tag.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a processor programmed for time-division multiplexing an operation of the touch sensor panel and the RFID circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a liquid crystal display (LCD); and

a processor programmed for time-division multiplexing an operation of the touch sensor panel, the LCD, and the RFID circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a liquid crystal display (LCD); and

a processor programmed for frequency-division multiplexing an operation of the touch sensor panel, the LCD, and the RFID circuit.

11. A computing system comprising the apparatus of claim 1.

12. A mobile telephone comprising the computing system of claim 11.

13. A digital media player comprising the computing system of claim 11.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second function is chosen from the group consisting of scanning the touch sensor panel, shielding the sense lines from electromagnetic noise, and providing optical uniformity.

15. A method for providing radio frequency identification (RFID) functionality on a touch sensor panel, comprising:

forming a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines on one or more substrates of the touch sensor panel, the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines providing touch sensing capability; and

forming an RFID circuit including an antenna and a control circuit coupled to the antenna on a substrate of the touch sensor panel, the antenna formed by conductors multiplexed to perform a first RFID function during a first time period and a second function during a second time period and formed on a same side of the substrate as either the plurality of drive lines or the plurality of sense lines.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

forming metal traces for connecting either the plurality of drive lines or the plurality of sense lines to a flex circuit; and

forming the antenna from metal on a same layer as the metal traces.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising switching the antenna to function as either as an antenna or as an electromagnetic shield.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming the antenna from a conductive material that provides optical uniformity.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming the antenna as a loop antenna.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming the antenna as a dipole antenna and the control circuit as a capacitance diode.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring the RFID circuit as either an RFID reader or an RFID tag.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising time-division multiplexing an operation of the touch sensor panel and the RFID circuit.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising time-division multiplexing an operation of the touch sensor panel, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and the RFID circuit.

24. The method of claim 15, further comprising frequency-division multiplexing an operation of the touch sensor panel, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and the RFID circuit.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the second function is chosen from the group consisting of scanning the touch sensor panel, shielding the sense lines from electromagnetic noise, and providing optical uniformity.

26. A mobile telephone including an apparatus for providing radio frequency identification (RFID) and touch sensing capability, the apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including one or more substrates and a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines, the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines formed on one or more of the substrates; and

an RFID circuit, the RFID circuit including an antenna and a control circuit coupled to the antenna, the antenna formed by conductors multiplexed to perform a first RFID function during a first time period and a second function during a second time period and formed on a same side of the substrate as either the plurality of drive lines or the plurality of sense lines.

27. A digital audio player including an apparatus for providing radio frequency identification (RFID) and touch sensing capability, the apparatus comprising:

a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel including one or more substrates and a plurality of drive lines and a plurality of sense lines, the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines formed on one or more of the substrates; and

an RFID circuit, the RFID circuit including an antenna and a control circuit coupled to the antenna, the antenna formed by conductors multiplexed to perform a first RFID function during a first time period and a second function during a second time period and formed on a same side of the substrate as either the plurality of drive lines or the plurality of sense lines.