Fidelica, Microsystems, Inc.

Other

Springworks, LLC

Keith T Deconde

Srinivasan K Ganapathi

Randolph S Gluck

Shiva Prakash

Steve Hovey

Robert C Dobkin

Joram Diamant

Joseph Justin Pritikin

Christopher Stoessel

A method of making an integrated texture sensor for sensing a texture is described. In one embodiment, the method is directed to a sensor that that is protected from external contaminating particulates and will self-equalize using air from outside the sensor. Further combinations of such protection among various membrane switches, in combination with various types of membranes, is described. In another embodiment, a method of making a skin-texture sensor for sensing a skin texture having a plurality of ridges and a plurality of valleys is described, such that when completed, applying a ridge of the texture to a membrane switch will cause flexure of the membrane resulting in a contact between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, the contact establishing an electrical communication between said one of the row lines and said one of the column lines, whereas disposing a valley of the texture over said each membrane switch will not result in the contact between the lower electrode and the upper electrode.

Fingerprint sensors using membrane switch arrays

A sheet film protective covering for different types of contour sensing devices is described. In a preferred embodiment, this covering is a MYLAR&#xae; sheet film that is coated with a layer of a conductive material. The bottom surface of the MYLAR&#xae; film is also preferably coated with a layer of an adhesive. The sheet film covering preferably is contiguous and serves the purpose, among other things, to protect the underlying surface of the pressure-sensing device from contaminants and from electrostatic discharge, as well provide force concentration during use.

Method and apparatus for protection of contour sensing devices

A sensor for a textured surface (e.g., a fingerprint) is provided. The sensor includes a flexible substrate and a flexible membrane supported above the substrate by one or more spacers. The sensor also includes multiple pressure sensor elements responsive to a separation between parts of the membrane and corresponding parts of the substrate. The membrane is conformable to the textured surface being sensed, so the variation in separation between substrate and membrane is representative of the textured surface being sensed. A preferred sensor array arrangement has a set of parallel substrate electrodes on the substrate facing the membrane and a set of parallel membrane electrodes on the membrane facing the substrate, where the substrate and membrane electrodes are perpendicular. The sensor array is preferably an entirely passive structure including no active electrical devices, to reduce cost. Row and column addressing circuitry can be provided as separate units (e.g., ASIC chips) to be hybrid integrated with the sensor array.

Flexible imaging pressure sensor

A sheet film protective covering for different types of contour sensing devices is described. In a preferred embodiment, this covering is a mylar sheet film that is coated with a layer of a conductive material. The bottom surface of the mylar film is also preferably coated with a layer of an adhesive. The sheet film covering preferably is contiguous and serves the purpose, among other things, to protect the underlying surface of the pressure-sensing device from contaminants and from electrostatic discharge, as well provide force concentration during use.

A fingerprint-sensing device with a sensor array that does not use active switching elements is fabricated on a base. Sensor support integrated circuits, which contain processing and addressing circuitry, are separately fabricated and subsequently mounted on the base, establishing electrical connections with an interconnect structure within the base, and are thus not integrated with the sensor array. The sensor support integrated circuits can be covered by a bezel structure and the sensor array by a covering material. In addition, a connection cable can be provided to connect the sensor array and the sensor support integrated circuits with a power source and to other external devices and to convey signals generated by the sensor array to the external devices.

Method for manufacturing sensing devices to image textured surfaces

A sensor for identifying fingerprints or other skin textures includes an array of cells each including a membrane switch. Each switch includes a fixed lower electrode disposed on a chip substrate, and a flexible membrane disposed over the lower electrode and capable of flexing downward to establish electrical contact between the lower electrode and an upper electrode. The upper electrode can form the membrane itself or a layer of the membrane, or can be attached to other membrane layers. Switches situated underneath skin ridges change state (e.g. are closed) by the applied pressure, while switches underneath skin valleys remain in their quiescent state (e.g. open). Adjacent switch chambers are connected by fluid tunnels which allow the passage of air between the chambers. Each chamber is substantially closed to the exterior of the sensor, such that particles from the environment cannot contaminate the switch contact surface defined between the switch electrodes. The cells are preferably not hermetically sealed, such that the pressure within the chamber interiors can stay equal to the external (atmospheric) pressure in varying environmental conditions. The membrane design of the cells according to the preferred embodiment allows improved sensor robustness, enhanced resistance to impact forces, decreased vulnerability to particle contamination, and reduced inter-cell crosstalk.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Keith T Deconde