Electronic device comprising sensor and method for operating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10949637-B2
Application number	US-201716309189-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2017
Priority date	Jul 7, 2016
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device including a housing including a transparent cover including a first region and a second region adjacent to the first region, a touchscreen display interposed between the first region and a second surface of the housing and exposed through the first region, an opaque layer interposed between the second region of the transparent cover and the second surface and exposed through the second region, a fingerprint sensor interposed between the opaque layer and the second surface, and a pressure sensor interposed between the fingerprint sensor and the second surface and sensing a pressure of an external object against the opaque layer. The pressure sensor includes a first electrode substantially in parallel with the opaque layer, a second electrode spaced from the first electrode layer and extending substantially in parallel in the second direction, and a dielectric layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing having a bottom surface and being opened upwardly;
a main printed circuit board seated inside the housing;
a bracket placed on the main printed circuit board;
a display panel positioned in a first region of an upper surface of the bracket;
an integrated sensor positioned in a second region of the upper surface of the bracket; and
an outer cover positioned to cover the display panel and the integrated sensor,
wherein the integrated sensor includes:
a fingerprint sensor configured to perform fingerprint recognition on an object contacting a surface of the outer cover;
a pressure sensor configured to sense a pressure of an object contacting the surface of the outer cover;
an auxiliary printed circuit board in which the fingerprint sensor and the pressure sensor are seated, wherein the fingerprint sensor is attached to a first surface of the auxiliary printed circuit board, and the pressure sensor is attached to a second surface of the auxiliary printed circuit board opposite the first surface; and
a driving IC positioned on the auxiliary printed circuit board and configured to drive the fingerprint sensor and the pressure sensor.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein, in the outer cover, a thickness of a location corresponding to a region where the integrated sensor is positioned is thinner than a peripheral region, and
wherein the outer cover includes at least one protrusion formed on a surface corresponding to a region in which the integrated sensor is positioned.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the fingerprint sensor is interposed between a lower surface of the outer cover and an upper surface of the auxiliary printed circuit board, and
wherein the pressure sensor is interposed between a lower surface of the auxiliary printed circuit board and the upper surface of the bracket.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the fingerprint sensor is interposed between a lower surface of the outer cover and an upper surface of the auxiliary printed circuit board, and
wherein the pressure sensor is positioned on the auxiliary printed circuit board in the form of a band surrounding the fingerprint sensor.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the bracket includes at least one of:
a seating recess in which at least a portion of the pressure sensor is seated; a main seating recess in which at least a portion of the pressure sensor is seated;
a sub seating recess in which at least a portion of the auxiliary printed circuit board is seated; or
a metal layer forming a ground layer of the pressure sensor.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary printed circuit board includes an electrode layer forming a sensor layer of the pressure sensor.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a light emitting unit positioned on the auxiliary printed circuit board;
a waveguide configured to guide a light emitted from the light emitting unit, and positioned on the light emitting unit or positioned on the pressure sensor; and
a light blocking part surrounding a surrounding region of the waveguide.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the auxiliary printed circuit board is disposed on the bracket such that the second surface of the auxiliary printed circuit board contacts a top surface of the bracket,
wherein the bracket defines a seating recess in which the pressure sensor is disposed, and
wherein the auxiliary printed circuit board extends over at least a portion of the seating recess of the bracket as to partially enclose the pressure sensor within the seating recess.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive layer for adhering the fingerprint sensor and the outer cover.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Ho Kyung
• Jeong Young Tae
• Kang Han Vit
• Kim Byeong Cheol
• Kim Jung Won
• Jeong Jeong Sik
• Kim Kwang Tai
• Byeon Hyung Sup
• Hong Hyun Ju

Classifications

• G06V40/1329

  Protecting the fingerprint sensor against damage caused by the finger · CPC title

• G06V40/1306 Primary

  non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing · CPC title

• G06F2203/04105

  Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position · CPC title

• G06F3/016

  Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title