User interface unit, smart card and manufacturing method

• US 9,406,013 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2015
• Issued: 08/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Suwald, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US14/688,901
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302289A1
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07709 the interface being a keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/0873 Details of the card reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2017/9602 characterised by the type or shape of the sensing electrodes

Abstract

There is disclosed a user interface unit for a smart card, said user interface unit comprising a two-dimensional capacitive sensor array, wherein the capacitive sensor array comprises an array of corner sensor elements each comprising a capacitor over its area, wherein the respective capacitors of neighboring corner sensor elements in each dimension extend towards each other thereby defining at least one intermediate region therebetween, the area of the or each intermediate region covered by the respective capacitors being in a respective fixed ratio. Furthermore, there is disclosed a corresponding smart card and a method of manufacturing a user interface unit for a smart card.

Claims

1. A user interface unit for a smart card, said user interface unit comprising a two-dimensional capacitive sensor array, wherein the capacitive sensor array comprises an array of corner sensor elements each comprising a capacitor over an area associated with each corner sensor element, wherein the respective capacitors of neighbouring corner sensor elements in each dimension extend towards each other thereby defining at least one intermediate region therebetween, the area of the or each intermediate region covered by the respective capacitors being in a respective fixed ratio.

2. A user interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intermediate regions in both dimensions define at least one central region therebetween, and the capacitor from each corner sensor element extends over the or each respective central region in a respective fixed ratio.

3. A user interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein each capacitor has a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode is specific to the sensor element comprising the respective capacitor, and wherein the second electrode is a common signal electrode.

4. A user interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate region is defined by interdigitated first electrodes of the capacitors extending from the neighbouring corner sensor units.

5. A user interface unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one intermediate region is defined by first electrodes of the capacitors extending from the neighbouring corner sensor units in a mutual spiral arrangement.

6. A smart card comprising a user interface unit as claimed in claim 1, said smart card further comprising a processing unit for processing sensor signals generated by the user interface unit and a plurality of signal lines for transmitting said sensor signals from the user interface unit to the processing unit, wherein each one of the capacitors is connected to one of the signal lines, wherein each one of the capacitors is arranged to generate one of the sensor signals and to transmit said one of the sensor signals to the processing unit through said one of the signal lines.

7. A smart card as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processing unit is arranged to execute a computer program which applies a weighting function to the sensor signals generated by the user interface unit.

8. A smart card as claimed in claim 6, said smart card further comprising a wireless communication module and a loop antenna for wireless communication, wherein the wireless communication module comprises an integrated antenna cross-over, said integrated antenna cross-over comprising a first antenna terminal of the wireless communication module being located outside the loop of the antenna and a second antenna terminal of the wireless communication module being located inside the loop of the antenna.

9. A smart card as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processing unit and the wireless communication module are comprised in a monolithically integrated circuit.

10. A smart card as claimed in claim 8, wherein the user interface unit and the loop antenna are integrated in a single-layer printed circuit-board.

11. A smart card as claimed in claim 6, said smart card further comprising a keypad which overlays the user interface unit and/or which is integrated with the user interface unit.

12. A smart card as claimed in claim 6, said smart card further comprising a user feedback indicator for guiding a user through a touch-based user input process.

13. A smart card as claimed in claim 6, wherein the user interface element is arranged to receive a touch-based user input which represents a gesture for activating a function of the smart card.

14. A smart card as claimed in claim 6, wherein the processing unit is further arranged to perform up-sampling by means of pipeline processing of sampled sensor signals.

15. A method of manufacturing a user interface unit for a smart card, the method comprising providing the user interface unit with a two-dimensional capacitive sensor array and providing the capacitive sensor array with an array of corner sensor elements each comprising a capacitor over an area associated with each corner sensor element, wherein the respective capacitors of neighbouring corner sensor elements in each dimension extend towards each other thereby defining at least one intermediate region therebetween, the area of the or each intermediate region covered by the respective capacitors being in a respective fixed ratio.