• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    This invention relates to a terminal comprising - a housing (6), - a printed circuit board (1) in said housing comprising a controller (2), - a connection element (4) having a first end in electrical contact with said printed circuit board and a opposite end reaching a front of the terminal, the connecting element being provided with a touch detection area (5) at the second end and being arranged to transmit signals to the controller by activating said touch detection area, said connecting element further allowing to receive an access control signal through contact with the touch detection area and bring it to an access control controller (10).
    公开号:BE1022068B1
    申请号:E2013/0835
    申请日:2013-12-12
    公开日:2016-02-15
    发明作者:Geert Verhaeghe；Kristof Wallaert
    申请人:Televic Healthcare Nv；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Terminal
    Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to the domain of terminals and connection mechanisms for touch areas and identification systems located thereon.
    Background of the Invention It is well known in the art how capacitive detection buttons can be used in electronic devices such as mobile telephones, terminals in hospitals or in other healthcare applications, etc. The capacitive detection button is usually implemented on a printed circuit board (PCB) on which the controller is also placed. For this reason, the circuit board must be mounted close to the front of the terminal.
    Capacitive touch buttons are often used for electronic devices. Typically, a capacitive touch button includes a touch panel, a plurality of sensor electrodes, and a conductive layer. The touch panel comprises a number of button areas corresponding to the sensor electrodes. When the user touches one button area, an electrical coupling capacity is created between the user's finger and the conductive layer. The current generated by the sensor electrodes flows through the conductive layer to the contacts of a connector. A connector is used to connect the induction layer and the main circuit board (PCB) of the electronic device. The signal is passed to the controller of the electronic device on the PCB. The controller takes into account the ratio and strength of the received signals, determines the touch position and performs a preset function.
    Patent application US2012 / 020031 describes an electronic device comprising a capacitive touch button, a PCB and a connection mechanism. The capacitive touch button is fixed in the housing and comprises a number of button bodies. The PCB is secured in the housing. The connecting mechanism comprises a printed circuit board and a connecting element. The printed circuit board is fixed in the housing and comprises a number of sensor electrodes and a number of electrical protrusions, all of which are arranged according to the number of button bodies of the capacitive touch button. The sensor electrodes are connected to the capacitive touch button and the electrical protrusions. The connecting element comprises a first end and a second end. The first end is attached to the PCB. The second end pushes against the electrical protrusions to electrically connect the capacitive touch button and the controller on the PCB.
    Another example can be found in US2010 / 013781, which shows a touch button module of an electronic device. The touch button module comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) on which a capacitive touch sensor chip is located and a conductor on a surface of the PCB to detect contact of the capacitive touch sensor chip.
    In the examples above, the PCB is indeed close to the front of the electronic device. In some cases, however, the main PCB may be at a certain distance (usually a few centimeters) from the front.
    A typical solution is in that case to provide an additional circuit board for the capacitive detection button with the controller positioned next to it. The additional PCB is mounted against the front of the terminal and connected to the main PCB via a connector or cable. However, this approach is very expensive due to the additional PCB and connectors. Moreover, it requires additional installation operations.
    An illustration of this approach can be found, for example, in a document on the Cypress website (www.cypress.com) where a CapSense plate with a four-layer PCB is described. This makes it possible to place the controller and other components directly under the sensor plate to save a lot of space, but with due observance of the guidelines for CapSense sensors and tracks that would otherwise not be achieved with a normal two-layer PCB .
    Therefore, there is a need for a solution where the printed circuit board is allowed to be at a distance from the front of the terminal, without the burden of an additional printed circuit board.
    Summary of the Invention It is an object of embodiments of the present invention to provide a terminal with capacitive detection functionality where the printed circuit board does not have to be placed close to the front of the terminal. It is a further object to provide a terminal which, in addition to the touch functionality, also offers the possibility of access control and / or personal identification with access keys, using one and the same solution.
    The above object is achieved by the solution according to the present invention.
    In a first aspect, the invention relates to a terminal comprising - a housing, - a printed circuit board mounted in the housing and comprising a touch controller, - a connecting element with a first end in electrical contact with the printed circuit board and an opposite end that reaches a front of the terminal, said connecting element at the second end being provided with at least one touch detection area and being adapted to transmit signals generated by activation of said at least one touch detection area to the touch controller on the printed circuit board, said connecting element at the second end is further adapted to receive an access control signal via contact with said touch detection area and to transfer the received access control signal via said printed circuit board to an access control controller.
    The proposed terminal thus indeed has a dual function: it serves as an access controller and provides capacitive detection functionality. A major advantage of the present invention is that it is no longer necessary to implement the capacitive detection button on the circuit board. Therefore, the printed circuit board no longer needs to be close to the front of the terminal. In other words, in this case the printed circuit board can also be positioned a few centimeters away from the front of the terminal. This is accomplished by a connecting means which has an end on the front side of the terminal on which at least one touch detection area is provided. The connecting means is substantially perpendicular to the front of the terminal. The connecting element is arranged such that signals generated by activation of the at least one touch detection area are transmitted to the touch controller provided on the printed circuit board. The connecting element is further arranged at the end on the front side of the terminal to receive an access control signal via contact with the touch detection area. This access control signal is then transmitted via the printed circuit board to an access control controller. For example, both functions are combined at a single location, namely the touch detection area that is provided at one end of the connecting element.
    In one embodiment, the access control controller is part of an assigned access controller device.
    In a preferred embodiment, the printed circuit board comprises the access control controller.
    Advantageously, the touch controller and the access controller are part of a single controller device.
    In another embodiment, the first end of the connecting element is mounted on the printed circuit board.
    In an alternative embodiment, the at least one touch detection area is covered with a cover.
    Preferably, the terminal comprises a data connection for transporting the received access control signal to the access control controller.
    In a preferred embodiment, the access control controller is arranged to supply energy to an access key that is in contact with the at least one touch detection area. To accomplish this, a second contact area of the access key is used that is different from the contact area used to perform access control.
    In a preferred embodiment, the terminal comprises one or more LEDs to give an indication of the status of the terminal.
    The connecting element is preferably supported by a light guide positioned so as to provide mechanical support to the at least one touch area.
    In a further embodiment, the access control controller is adapted to work with a 1-Wire communication bus system.
    To summarize the invention and the realized advantages over the prior art, certain objects and advantages of the invention have been described above. It goes without saying that all such objectives or advantages are not necessarily achieved according to one specific embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, persons skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or practiced in a manner that achieves or optimizes one benefit or group of benefits as described herein, without necessarily realizing other goals or benefits described herein or suggested.
    The above and other aspects of the invention will become clear and further explained with reference to the embodiment (s) described below.
    Brief description of the drawings The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements in the various figures.
    FIG. 1 illustrates the touch detection functionality of the terminal of the present invention.
    FIG. 2 illustrates the access control function of the proposed solution.
    Detailed Description of Illustrative Embodiments The present invention will be described with reference to specific embodiments and with reference to certain drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto, but is only limited by the claims.
    In addition, the terms first, second, etc. are used in the description and in the claims to distinguish between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a sequence, either in time, in space, in importance or in any other way. It is to be understood that the terms used are interchangeable under proper conditions and that the embodiments of the invention described herein are capable of operating in sequences other than those described or illustrated herein.
    It is to be noted that the term "comprising" as used in the claims should not be interpreted as being limited to the means specified thereafter; it does not exclude other elements or steps. It must therefore be interpreted as a specification of the presence of the listed features, units, steps or components referred to, but it does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, units, steps or components or groups thereof. Therefore, the scope of the expression "a device comprising means A and B" should not be limited to devices consisting only of parts A and B. It means that with regard to the present invention, the only relevant parts of the device A and B to be.
    References in this specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or feature described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Statements of the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" at different places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment, but it is possible. Furthermore, the specific features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
    In a similar manner, it should be noted that in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof to streamline the disclosure and understanding of one or more of the facilitate various inventive aspects. However, this method of disclosure should not be interpreted as an expression of an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than expressly stated in each claim. As shown in the following claims, the inventive aspects lie in less than all the features of a single preceding disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims that follow the detailed description are hereby explicitly included in this detailed description, wherein each claim stands on its own as a separate embodiment of the present invention.
    In addition, since some embodiments described herein include some, but not other, features included in other embodiments, combinations of features of different embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments, such as will be understood by someone skilled in this field. For example, in the following claims, any of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.
    It should be noted that the use of particular terminology in describing certain aspects of the invention does not imply that the terminology herein is redefined to be limited to any specific features of the features or aspects of the invention with which that terminology is associated.
    In the description given here, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention can be worked out without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, structures and techniques were not shown in detail in order not to obstruct the understanding of this description.
    The present invention describes a dual functionality terminal: it includes a touch detection area for capacitive detection, but it also offers a possibility to handle access keys.
    An important advantage of the proposed terminal is that it comprises a connecting element which is provided with at least one touch detection area at one end and makes electrical contact with a printed circuit board at the opposite end. By using a connecting element with suitable dimensions, the printed circuit board can be positioned at some distance from the front of the terminal. That is why there is no need for an additional circuit board.
    FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the terminal of the present invention. A printed circuit board (1) is secured in the housing (6). A controller (2) is assigned to the printed circuit board (PCB) which receives signals that are generated when a touch detection area (5) is activated on the front of the terminal. A connecting element (4) is provided between the housing and the PCB. This connecting element makes electrical contact with the PCB at a first end. That end of the connecting element may be mounted directly on the PCB. Alternatively, the contact can be established by additional wiring and / or connectors.
    The connecting element has a second end on the opposite side that extends substantially to the front of the terminal. At the second end there is at least one touch detection area that is provided on a conductive plate.
    The CapSense principle can be summarized as follows. Sensors with own capacity are used. These self-capacity sensors tend to radiate electric fields from the touch area. They can be implemented with or without an overhead panel that covers the touch area. This sensor works on the principle of charge transfer. Charge transfer works by applying a voltage pulse to a serial connection of the unknown capacity Cx and a capacitor Cs that integrates charge. By repeating the pulse multiple times, high resolutions can be obtained whereby capacity changes of some femtoFarad are detected. Normally, a certain serial resistance is also added to improve electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic interference behavior. The capacitor Cs builds up charge during a number of charge transfer pulses. Ultimately, the voltage at Cs is used as the basis for capacity measurement. The mutual connection between Cs and Cx can be achieved by means of a conductive material with a sufficiently low resistance. The basis for the unknown capacity Cx is formed by a touch area with the right dimensions. This touch area can be made of the same or different conductive material as the interconnection. A finger that approaches or touches the touch area will connect to the emitted electrical fields that the area emits. This results in a decrease in the load of that area, since part of the load flows away through the finger to the earth. The controller sees this decrease as a change in capacity of the touch area Cx. This change in capacitance can be detected by measuring the voltage on the integrator capacitor Cs, as mentioned above. Other operational principles can also be used to detect the actual capacity changes of the touch area, for example the conversion of capacity to digital, a changing relaxation oscillator, RC charge / discharge, etc.
    Applications can also be imagined where the use of mutual capacity sensors is better suited, for example when more than one touch area is needed.
    As already mentioned, the terminal of the present invention is also capable of handling access keys. FIG. 2 provides an illustration. If an access key (not shown in the figure) contacts the at least one detection area at said second end of the connecting element, an access control signal can be received from the access key. This access control signal is then transported to an access controller (10) via the printed circuit board. Note that in the embodiment shown in the figure, the access controller is also implemented on the circuit board. In FIG. 2 furthermore shows a connecting element (8) which forms a reference for the access reader. This element (8) is attached to an outer contact ring (9) (ground) which in combination with the inner contact (when an access key is offered) ensures that the key is read.
    Various possible types of access keys can be imagined for use with the terminal of this invention. Some examples are iButton technology and touch button technology. Such technologies are well known in the current state of the art.
    IButtons are a portable form of a so-called 1-wire device. 1-Wire is a communication bus system for devices designed by Dallas Semiconductor Corp. to allow slow data, signal and power transfer via a single signal. A characteristic feature of the bus is the ability to use only two wires: data and ground. To accomplish this, the 1-wire device includes an 800 pF capacitor to store charge and power the device when the data line is active. The iButton is a mechanical packaging standard that places a 1-Wire component in a small stainless steel "button", comparable to a button cell battery. iButtons are connected to 1-Wire bus systems through fittings with contacts that touch the "cover" and the "base" of the enclosure. Alternatively, the connection can be semi-permanent with a fitting in which the iButton is clicked, but from which it can also be easily removed. For the purpose of identification where only a limited data transfer is required, said fitting can be limited to two simple contacts, being a central data contact and an outer grounding contact.
    A data connection is advantageously available for transporting the access control signal received by the connection element to the access controller. This data connection can be any electrical connection with sufficiently low losses. It may include one or more different paths, such as PCBs, wire, connectors, or any other appropriate conductor. This data connection is formed by one said electrical connection transferring the signal to the iButton and one said electrical connection providing the return path for the signal to ground. A second contact area is provided around this central touch area for this return path.
    The access controller is arranged to supply energy to an access key that is in contact with the at least one touch detection area. Due to the low power consumption of the iButton and the sufficiently high signal strength of the data connection, the iButton can be powered by the data connection itself, without the need for an additional power connection.
    In one embodiment, the access controller is an assigned controller. This controller is, for example, capable of executing the 1-Wire protocol in hardware, software or any combination. This protocol is used in the 1-Wire communication bus system designed by Dallas Semiconductor Corp.
    I
    In another embodiment, the access controller is implemented on the circuit board. The access controller and the touch controller can advantageously be part of a single controller device.
    The connecting element makes electrical contact with the PCB at one end. This can be achieved by mounting the connecting element on the PCB at one end. The mounting can be done by soldering, mechanical pressure, conductive glue or any other means that connects them with sufficiently low electrical impedance.
    In at least one embodiment of the invention, the at least one touch detection area at one end of the connecting element can be covered with a cover (7).
    LED lights are a visual way for the user to find out the condition of the device. They are also a way of informing the user about a change in the state of the terminal in response to the user touching the touch area in the case of a CapTouch application and / or holding an iButton in the contact area in the case of a CapSense application.
    Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustrations and descriptions are to be considered as illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. The foregoing description explains certain embodiments of the invention in detail. It should be noted, however, that no matter how detailed the foregoing is contained in the text, the invention can be made in many ways. The invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments.
    Other variations on the disclosed embodiments may be understood and performed by persons skilled in the art and by practicing the claimed invention, through a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps and the indefinite article "a" does not exclude a plural. A single processor or other unit can perform the functions of different items in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are listed in mutually different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of those measures cannot be used to benefit. A computer program can be stored / distributed on a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or semiconductor medium supplied with or as part of other hardware, but can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the internet or other wired or wireless telecommunication systems. Any references in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.
    权利要求:
    Claims (12)
    [1]
    CONCLUSIONS
    A terminal comprising - a housing (6), - a printed circuit board (1) fixed in said housing (6) and comprising a controller (2), - a connecting element (4) with a first end in electrical contact with said printed circuit board and an opposite end that reaches a front side of the terminal, said connecting element being provided with at least one touch detection area (5) at said second end and being adapted to transmit signals generated by activation of said at least one touch detection area to said controller on said printed circuit board, said connecting element at said second end being further adapted to receive an access control signal from an access key via contact with said touch detection area and to transfer said received access control signal via said printed circuit board to an access control controller (10).
    [2]
    The terminal of claim 1, wherein said access control controller is part of an assigned access controller device.
    [3]
    The terminal of claim 1 or 2, wherein said circuit board comprises said access control controller.
    [4]
    The terminal of claim 3, wherein said controller and said access control controller form part of a single controller device.
    [5]
    The terminal of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said first end of said connecting element contacts said printed circuit board.
    [6]
    The terminal of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one touch detection area is covered with a cover.
    [7]
    A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a data connection for transporting said received access control signal to said access control controller.
    [8]
    The terminal of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said access control controller is arranged to supply energy to an access key that contacts said at least one touch detection area.
    [9]
    A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising one or more LEDs to give an indication of the status of the terminal.
    [10]
    A terminal according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said connecting element is supported by a light guide (3).
    [11]
    The terminal of claim 10, wherein said light conductor is positioned so as to provide mechanical support to said at least one touch detection area.
    [12]
    The terminal of any one of the preceding claims, wherein said access control controller is arranged to cooperate with a 1-Wire communication bus system.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    EP2746893A1|2014-06-25|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    US7151528B2|1999-06-22|2006-12-19|Cirque Corporation|System for disposing a proximity sensitive touchpad behind a mobile phone keypad|
    DE102004044378A1|2004-09-10|2006-03-30|Valeo Schalter Und Sensoren Gmbh|switch unit|
    US7005595B1|2005-04-25|2006-02-28|Unitel Rubber Corporation|Light emitting keypad assembly|
    US8581853B2|2007-07-10|2013-11-12|Cypress Semiconductor Corp.|Two element slider with guard sensor|
    KR20100008846A|2008-07-17|2010-01-27|삼성전자주식회사|Touch key module|
    DE102009036162A1|2009-07-28|2011-02-03|E.G.O. Elektro-Gerätebau GmbH|Sensor element means|
    CN101924543B|2010-07-22|2013-08-28|鸿富锦精密工业（深圳）有限公司|Electronic equipment and key connecting structure thereof|
    EP2434645B1|2010-09-28|2020-03-11|BlackBerry Limited|A multi action capacitive switch and methods of use|
    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    EP121981849|2012-12-19|
    EP12198184.9A|EP2746893A1|2012-12-19|2012-12-19|Terminal device|
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