GB2418283A - Array of switches having triangular electrodes - Google Patents
Array of switches having triangular electrodes Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2418283A GB2418283A GB0420956A GB0420956A GB2418283A GB 2418283 A GB2418283 A GB 2418283A GB 0420956 A GB0420956 A GB 0420956A GB 0420956 A GB0420956 A GB 0420956A GB 2418283 A GB2418283 A GB 2418283A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- conductors
- array
- contact
- contact portion
- switch
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
- G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
- G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
- G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
- G06F3/045—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06V—IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G06V40/00—Recognition of biometric, human-related or animal-related patterns in image or video data
- G06V40/10—Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
- G06V40/12—Fingerprints or palmprints
- G06V40/13—Sensors therefor
- G06V40/1306—Sensors therefor non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Multimedia (AREA)
- Push-Button Switches (AREA)
Abstract
An switch array including, a switch (1) comprising first and second contact portions (3, 6) separated by a gap, and a bridge member (7, 8) for connecting the first and second portions across the gap. The first contact portion has a first edge facing the second contact portion, and at least one other edge facing a contact portion of at least one adjacent switch. The area of the gap between the first edge and the second contact portion is less than the area of the gap between the at least one other edge and the contact element of the at least one adjacent switch. The switch array is used to digitise fingerprints.
Description
J
24 1 8283
ARRAY OF SWITCHES
The present invention is concerned with an array of switches.
Embodiments of the present invention are particularly concerned with an array of switches defining a digitiser including a matrix or array of individual sensing ceils for sensing the presence or absence of an epidermal fingerprint ridge and thereby sensing fingerprint patterns.
Embodiments of the present invention are concerned with improvements to fingerprint sensors of the type described in EP 459,808, EP 699,325, GB 2,243,235, WO 98/11499 and Now 98/11500.
Both WO 98/11500 and WO 98/11499, for example, describe digitisers defined by a matrix of sensing cells where each sensing cell is defined by a switch which can be closed in response to the presence of a fingerprint epidermal ridge. A problem with the prior art systems is the possibility that current can sneak between adjacent sensing cells. This can distort the sensor output and restricts how close adjacent sensing cells can be.
The present invention provides an array of switches as set out in claim 1.
Preferred features of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.
Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures (which are not to scale), in which: Figures 1 and 2 are cross-sectional views through fringerprint sensors embodying the present invention; Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the sensing (i.e. upper) surface of the sensors of figures 1 and 3 respectively; and Figures 5a and 5b illustrates the relative resistance of the different current paths available from the contact pads of figures 3 or 4.
As discussed above, the present invention is concerned with digitisers comprising a matrix of individually actuable sensing cells 1. The cells are defined by the cross-over points of two sets of parallel conductors 2, 3 A second set of parallel conductors 3 overlies and is separated from a first set of parallel conductors 2.
In order to create a switch at each cross-over point, a conductive via through the insulating material 5 separating the two sets of conductors 2, 3 connects a lower conductor 2 with a contact pad 6 in the same plane as the second conductor 2 (or alternatively in an arrangement not illustrated, a second contact pad itself connected to the second conductor). One set of conductors defines input on drive buses and the other set of conductors defines output or sensing buses.
The present invention is essentially only concerned with the shape of the contact pads 6, and how this relates to the conductor with which it is connected when the respective switch is closed. The construction of digitisers embodying the present invention is in all other aspects identical to one or other of the construction described in EP 459, 808, EP 699,325, GB 2243,235, WO 98/11499 and/or WO 98/11500. For efficiency of the process, the applicant therefore expressly incorporates the disclosure of these documents in this application and confirms that the described digitisers are or may be constructed in one or other of the manners described in all of these publications.
As described in, for example, WO 98/11499 and/or 98/11500, each sensing cell 1 comprises a second conductor 3 overlying and separated from a first conductor 2 with the first conductor 2 being connected to a contact pad 6. A resiliently deformable membrane 7 including a continuously conductive film 8 of the type described in WO 98/11499 overlies the switch contacts defined by the contact pads 6 and second conductors 3. Downward pressure on the continuously conductive membrane 7 caused by, for example, pressure from an epidermal fingerprint ridge causes the film 8 to contact the second conductor 3 and contact pad 6 at a respective cell and thereby allows current to flow between the first and second conductors 2,3 (one of which defines an input bus and the other an output bus).
In the prior art digitizers, the contact pads are rectangular.In the digitisers of Figure 3 and 4, the contact pad 6 is substantially triangular. The inventor has appreciated that this results in a lower likelihood of sweat currents when using a continuously conductive membrane of the type described in WO 98/11499 to form the contact bridge for the array of switches making up the digitiser.
The resistance of a continuously conductive membrane of the type described in WO 98/11499 is defined as ohms per square (n/1 per square.
Referring to Figure 5, the use of a triangular contact pad 6 means that the effective resistance of the continuously conductive membrane between the contact pad and its respective conductor can be made significantly lower than that between the contact pad and adjacent contact pads and/or just conductors of adjacent sensing cells. For the example, in the configuration of Figure 5a there are 6 squares 9 in parallel between the contact pad and the second conductor, 6 squares in series between the contact pad and adjacent contact pads, and 4 squares in series between the contact pad and the sensor conductor of all adjacent sensing cell. As shown in Figure 5b this means that for a continuously conductive membrane having a resistance of RO/l, the resistance between the contact pad and its second conductor is significantly lower that that between the contact pad and other elements. This reduces the likelihood of sneak currents and allows one to eliminate or reduce the effect of any sneak currents by setting appropriate measurements thresholds in the circuitry which monitors the status of the sensing cells.
Claims (14)
1. An array of switches including, a switch comprising first and second contact portions separated by a gap, and a bridge member for connecting the first and second portions across the gap, wherein the first contact portion has a first edge facing the second contact portion, and at least one other edge facing a contact portion of at least one adjacent switch, and wherein the area of the gap between the first edge and the second contact portion comprises less squares than the area of the space between the at least one other edge and the contact element of the at least one adjacent switch.
2. An array of switches according to claim 1 wherein the first contact portion is substantially triangular
3. An array of switches according to any preceding claim, the array being defined by the cross-over points of a plurality of parallel first conductors and a plurality of parallel second conductors overlying the first conductors, and switch means being associated with each cross-over point, each switch means including a first contact portion connected to one of the first conductors and a second contact portion connected to one of the second conductors wherein the first and second contact portions of each switch are separated from one another, and the array further including an overlying resiliently deformable surface layer providing, for each switch, a contact bridge for connecting the contract portions of the switch means in response to an applied pressure on the surface layer.
4. An array of switches according to claim 3 wherein the plurality of parallel first conductors are substantially orthogonal to the plurality of second conductors, and the said first edge of the first contact portiont is substantially parallel to the second conductors.
5. An array of switches according to any preceding claim wherein a switch includes a first contact pad defined by said first contact portion and being electrically connected to one of said first conductors.
, A ^-I
6. An array of switches as claimed in claim 5 including an insulative layer overlying the first conductors, and having respective first vies for each first contact pad.
7. An array of switches as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second conductors are supported upon the insulative layer, the second contact portions are formed by second contact pads connected to the second conductors, and wherein the first and second contact pads are supported by the insulating layer.
8. An array of switches according to any preceding claim wherein the surface layer is a resiliently deformable membrane.
9. An array of switches according to claim 8 wherein the membrane has a continuously conductive film.
10. An array of switches according to any of claims 3 to 9 wherein the first and second conductors are formed on opposite sides of an insulating support, the first contact portions are on the same side of the support as the second conductors and each first contact portion is connected to its respective first conductors by a conductive via passing through the insulating support.
11. A fingerprint sensor including an array of switches according to any preceding claim.
12. A digitiser substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the attached figures
13. A fingerprint sensor substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the attached figures
14. A contact pad substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the attached figures.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0420956A GB2418283A (en) | 2004-09-21 | 2004-09-21 | Array of switches having triangular electrodes |
PCT/GB2005/003640 WO2006032884A1 (en) | 2004-09-21 | 2005-09-21 | Switches for fingerprint sensing |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0420956A GB2418283A (en) | 2004-09-21 | 2004-09-21 | Array of switches having triangular electrodes |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
GB0420956D0 GB0420956D0 (en) | 2004-10-20 |
GB2418283A true GB2418283A (en) | 2006-03-22 |
Family
ID=33306943
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
GB0420956A Withdrawn GB2418283A (en) | 2004-09-21 | 2004-09-21 | Array of switches having triangular electrodes |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
GB (1) | GB2418283A (en) |
Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2243235A (en) * | 1990-04-20 | 1991-10-23 | William Leslie Ross | Fingerprint sensor |
EP0459808A2 (en) * | 1990-05-31 | 1991-12-04 | Personal Biometric Encoders Limited | Digitizers |
WO1998011499A1 (en) * | 1996-09-10 | 1998-03-19 | Personal Biometric Encoders Ltd. | Fingerprint digitizer with continuous conductive membrane |
US20040075643A1 (en) * | 2002-10-16 | 2004-04-22 | Alps Electric Co., Ltd. | Transparent coordinate input device and transparent composite material having ridge portion formed in transparent resistance film |
-
2004
- 2004-09-21 GB GB0420956A patent/GB2418283A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
GB2243235A (en) * | 1990-04-20 | 1991-10-23 | William Leslie Ross | Fingerprint sensor |
EP0459808A2 (en) * | 1990-05-31 | 1991-12-04 | Personal Biometric Encoders Limited | Digitizers |
WO1998011499A1 (en) * | 1996-09-10 | 1998-03-19 | Personal Biometric Encoders Ltd. | Fingerprint digitizer with continuous conductive membrane |
US20040075643A1 (en) * | 2002-10-16 | 2004-04-22 | Alps Electric Co., Ltd. | Transparent coordinate input device and transparent composite material having ridge portion formed in transparent resistance film |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB0420956D0 (en) | 2004-10-20 |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |