Input member with capacitive sensor

• US 9,671,889 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bussat, Jean-Marie, Miller, Thayne M., Hotelling, Steven P., Cohen, Sawyer I., Cater, Tyler B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Li, Ruiping
• Application Number:
  US14/340,138
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 382124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/975 using a capacitive movable element
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

Input members with capacitive sensors are disclosed. In one embodiment of an electronic button, a first circuit is configured to capture a fingerprint of a user'"'"'s finger placed on the electronic button, and a second circuit is configured to sense a force applied to the electronic button by the user'"'"'s finger. The first circuit is further configured to provide temperature information to compensate for temperature sensitivities of the second circuit, and the second circuit is further configured to provide force information to the first circuit.

Claims

1. An electronic button, comprising:

a first circuit configured to capture a fingerprint of a user'"'"'s finger placed on the electronic button; and

a second circuit configured to sense a force applied to the electronic button by the user'"'"'s finger;

wherein the first circuit is further configured to provide temperature information to compensate for temperature sensitivities of the second circuit, and the second circuit is further configured to provide force information to the first circuit.

2. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the temperature information is provided to a third circuit, the third circuit being configured to correct the sensed force using the temperature information.

3. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the first circuit is configured to determine when to sense a fingerprint based on the force information provided by the second circuit.

4. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the electronic button is mechanically decoupled from a housing surrounding the electronic button.

5. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the first circuit comprises a plurality of temperature sensors in a plurality of quadrants of the first circuit.

6. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the first circuit is configured to correct the captured fingerprint responsive to the sensed force being greater than a predefined acceptable force for fingerprint capture.

7. The electronic button of claim 1, further comprising a third circuit configured to combine an orientation of the captured fingerprint and the sensed force to provide three dimensional control of an electronic device.

8. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the second circuit is mounted directly on the first circuit.

9. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the second circuit is integrally included within a semiconductor die that also includes the first circuit.

10. The electronic button of claim 1, wherein the first circuit comprises a capacitive fingerprint sensor and the second circuit comprises a strain gauge.