Orientation-agnostic method to interface to xerox printed memory label

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020104662-A1
Application number	US-201816150178-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 2, 2018
Priority date	Oct 2, 2018
Publication date	Apr 2, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An electronic system for identifying an article can include a printed memory having a plurality of contact pads electrically coupled to a plurality of landing pads positioned on a first side of a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate. The plurality of landing pads can be electrically coupled to a plurality of endless, concentric contact lines positioned on a second side of the PCB substrate through a plurality of vias that extend through a thickness of the PCB substrate and a plurality of traces that electrically couple the plurality of vias with the plurality of landing pads. To perform a memory operation on the printed memory, contact probes of a reader are physically and electrically contacted with the plurality of concentric contact lines. In some implementations, the memory operation can be performed on the printed memory irrespective of a rotational orientation of the printed memory relative to the reader.

First claim

1 . A memory device, comprising:
a printed memory comprising a substrate, a plurality of contact pads overlying the substrate, a plurality of wiring lines electrically coupled to the plurality of contact pads, and ferroelectric layer overlying the substrate; and a printed circuit comprising a plurality of concentric, endless contact lines electrically coupled to the plurality of contact pads.

2 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of wiring lines comprises at least one bit line and a plurality of word lines; at least a portion of the ferroelectric layer is positioned between the at least one bit line and the plurality of word lines; the ferroelectric layer positioned between the at least one bit line and each word line of the plurality of word lines forms a memory cell; and each memory cell is individually addressable through two of the concentric, endless contact lines.

3 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of concentric, endless contact lines are a plurality of circular concentric, endless contact lines.

4 . The memory device of claim 1 , wherein the printed circuit is positioned on a first side of a dielectric substrate and a second side of the dielectric substrate.

5 . The memory device of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of contact pads are electrically coupled to a plurality of landing pads on the first side of the dielectric substrate.

6 . The memory device of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of concentric, endless contact lines are electrically coupled to the plurality of landing pads with a plurality of vias that extend through a thickness of the dielectric substrate and a plurality of traces positioned on the first side of the dielectric substrate.

7 . An electronic system for identifying an article, comprising:
a printed memory comprising a substrate, a plurality of contact pads overlying the substrate, a plurality of wiring lines electrically coupled to the plurality of contact pads, and ferroelectric layer overlying the substrate; a printed circuit comprising a plurality of concentric, endless contact lines electrically coupled to the plurality of contact pads; and a reader configured to perform a memory operation on the printed memory, the reader having a read head comprising a plurality of contact probes for physically and electrically contacting the plurality of concentric, endless contact lines.

8 . The electronic system of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of concentric, endless contact lines are a plurality of circular concentric, endless contact lines.

9 . The electronic system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate comprising a first side and second side opposite the first side, wherein the plurality of concentric, endless contact pads are positioned on the second side; and a plurality of landing pads positioned on the first side of the PCB substrate, wherein the plurality of contact pads are physically and electrically coupled to the plurality of landing pads.

10 . The electronic system of claim 9 , further comprising:
a plurality of vias that extend through a thickness of the PCB substrate; and a plurality of traces electrically coupled to the plurality of landing pads and the plurality of vias, wherein the plurality of concentric, endless contact lines are electrically coupled to the plurality of landing pads by the plurality of vias and the plurality of traces.

11 . The electronic system of claim 10 , wherein:
the reader further comprises a contoured casing configured to match a shape of the article; and the read head is mounted to the casing.

12 . The electronic system of claim 10 wherein, during a memory operation on the printed memory, a first center of the PCB substrate is axially aligned with a second center of the read head.

13 . The electronic system of claim 12 , further comprising a plurality of dimples positioned on one of the PCB substrate and the read head and a plurality of detents positioned on the other of the PCB substrate and the read head, wherein the plurality of dimples and the plurality of detents are configured for the axially aligning of the first center of the PCB substrate with the second center of the read head.

14 . The electronic system of claim 12 , further comprising a first magnet positioned at the first center of the PCB substrate and a second magnet positioned at the second center of the read head, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet are configured for the axially aligning of the first center of the PCB substrate with the second center of the read head.

15 . The electronic system of claim 12 , wherein:
the plurality of concentric, endless contact lines are a plurality of circular concentric, endless contact lines; and the electronic system is configured to perform the memory operation using the read head irrespective of a rotational orientation of the read head relative to the printed memory around the second center of the read head.

16 . A method of performing a memory operation on a printed memory, comprising:
physically and electrically contacting a plurality of endless, concentric contact lines with a plurality of contact probes of a reader; initiating the memory operation using the reader; and placing a voltage across a bit line and a word line of the printed memory using the reader to perform the memory operation on a ferroelectric layer positioned between the bit line and the word line, wherein an electric charge applied to the printed memory by the reader extends through an electrical pathway formed by the plurality of contact probes, the plurality of endless, concentric contact lines, a plurality of vias electrically coupled to the plurality of endless, concentric contact lines, a plurality of traces electrically coupled to the plurality of vias, a plurality of landing pads electrically coupled to the plurality of traces, a plurality of contact pads of the printed memory, the bit line, and the word line.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the plurality of vias extend through a thickness of a printed circuit board (PCB) substrate; the plurality of landing pads are positioned on a first side of the PCB substrate; and the plurality of endless, concentric contact lines are positioned on a second side of the PCB substrate.

18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of contact probes are configured to physically contact the plurality of endless, concentric contact lines at any rotational orientation relative to the printed memory to result in a successful memory operation being performed on the printed memory by the reader.

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Trivedi Amit
• Zaman Kamran Uz
• Kurz Karl Edwin

Classifications

• G06K15/14

  by electrographic printing, e.g. xerography; by magnetographic printing {(G06K15/12 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H05K3/4007

  Surface contacts, e.g. bumps (H05K3/4092 takes precedence; deposition of finish layers on pads H05K3/24; forming solder bumps H05K3/3465) · CPC title

• G06K15/021

  Adaptations for printing on specific media · CPC title

• H05K2201/09227

  Layout details of a plurality of traces, e.g. escape layout for Ball Grid Array [BGA] mounting · CPC title

• H05K1/141 Primary

  One or more single auxiliary printed circuits mounted on a main printed circuit, e.g. modules, adapters (H05K1/142 and H05K1/147 take precedence) · CPC title