Apparatus comprising a flexible substrate and a component supported by the flexible substrate

• US 9,366,708 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2013
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: White, Richard, Haque, Samiul
• Primary Examiner(s): Koval, Melissa
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TRUNG Q
• Application Number:
  US13/760,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 324/600, 324686-693, 324702-710, 324/676, 324/76.11, 324/76.77, 324/323, 324/360, 324/120
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 3/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture or maintenance of measuring instruments , e.g. of probe tips
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• 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: Y10T 29/43 Electric condenser making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/435 Solid dielectric type

Abstract

An apparatus including a flexible substrate; a component supported by the flexible substrate; a first input electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a first capacitor with a second input electrode and to provide an input to the component; and a first output electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a second capacitor with a second output electrode and to provide an output from the component.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a component supported by the flexible substrate;

a first input electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a first capacitor with a second input electrode and to provide an input to the component;

a first output electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a second capacitor with a second output electrode and to provide an output from the component, wherein the component, the first input electrode and the first output electrode are surface-mounted and/or printed/stamped/pressed and/or transparent, and wherein the second input electrode and the second output electrode are surface-mounted and/or printed and/or transparent.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component, the first input electrode and the first output electrode are flexible, and wherein the second input electrode and the second output electrode are flexible.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first input electrode, the component, and the first output electrode occupy a common layer.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first input electrode and the second input electrode occupy different layers, and wherein the first input electrode and the second input electrode are arranged as a parallel plate capacitor.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first output electrode and the second output electrode occupy different layers, and wherein the first input electrode and the second input electrode are arranged as a parallel plate capacitor.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising drive circuitry configured to provide a time varying input signal at the second input electrode, and further comprising detection circuitry configured to detect a time varying output signal at the second output electrode.

7. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detection circuitry is configured to detect at least a complex impedance.

8. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate overlies a flexible display.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate comprises multiple through apertures.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component is whole or part of a capacitance touch sensor arrangement configured to have a variable capacitance that varies when a user finger touches or approaches the capacitance touch sensor arrangement, and wherein the capacitance touch sensor arrangement comprises at least one variable resistor sensor wherein the variable resistor sensor has a variable resistance that varies with a sensed parameter.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the capacitance touch sensor arrangement and the at least one variable resistor are configured to provide a single output signal via the first output electrode that depends simultaneously upon both a capacitance of the capacitance touch sensor arrangement and a resistance of the variable resistance sensor.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the component comprises a capacitor that has a capacitance that varies with a sensed parameter.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the component comprises a resistor that has a resistance that varies with a sensed parameter.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein, the component has a capacitance that varies when a user finger touches or approaches the apparatus.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a component supported by the flexible substrate;

a first input electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a first capacitor with a second input electrode and to provide an input to the component;

a first output electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a second capacitor with a second output electrode and to provide an output from the component, wherein at a detection frequency or frequencies, an impact of an electrical impedance of the component on measurements is resolvable from an impact of the total combined impedance on the measurements, and wherein at a detection frequency or frequencies, the electrical impedance of the component varies with at least one parameter.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a component supported by the flexible substrate;

a first input electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a first capacitor with a second input electrode and to provide an input to the component;

a first output electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a second capacitor with a second output electrode and to provide an output from the component, wherein, at detection frequencies at which an impedance of the component is detected, the first capacitor has an electrical impedance that changes in response to changes in a first parameter less than the electrical impedance of the component changes in response to the changes in the first parameter, and wherein, at

detection frequencies at which an impedance of the component is detected, the second capacitor has an electrical impedance that changes in response to changes in a first parameter less than the electrical impedance of the component changes in response to changes in the first parameter.

14. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a component supported by the flexible substrate;

a first input electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a first capacitor with a second input electrode and to provide an input to the component;

a first output electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a second capacitor with a second output electrode and to provide an output from the component, wherein, at detection frequencies at which an impedance of the component is detected, the first capacitor has an electrical impedance that changes in response to changes in a second parameter less than the electrical impedance of the component changes in response to changes in the second parameter and the second capacitor has an electrical impedance that changes in response to changes in a second parameter less than the electrical impedance of the component changes in response to changes in the second parameter.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a component supported by the flexible substrate;

a first input electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a first capacitor with a second input electrode and to provide an input to the component;

a first output electrode, supported by the flexible substrate and configured to form a second capacitor with a second output electrode and to provide an output from the component, and further comprising a plurality of components, wherein each component is supported by the flexible substrate, wherein each component is configured to receive an input via a first capacitor and to provide an output via a second capacitor, wherein each of the components is configured to sense a different parameter.

19. A method of manufacturing an apparatus comprising a component, comprising:

selectively forming at least one first input electrode on a flexible substrate at a position that enables the at least one first input electrode to form in the manufactured apparatus a first capacitor with a second input electrode;

selectively forming at least one first output electrode on the flexible substrate at a position that enables the at least one first output electrode to form in the manufactured apparatus a second capacitor with a second output electrode; and

selectively forming at least one component in electrical connection between the first input electrode and the first output electrode, wherein the component, the first input electrode and the first output electrode are surface-mounted and/or printed/stamped/pressed and/or transparent, and wherein the second input electrode and the second output electrode are surface-mounted and/or printed and/or transparent.

20. A method as claimed in claim 19 further comprising:

selectively forming the first input electrode, the component, and the first output electrode in a common layer;

selectively forming the second input electrode in a different layer to the common layer; and

selectively forming the second output electrode in a different layer to the common layer.