Touch Screen and Fingerprint Sensor Assembly Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current mobile devices with both touch screens and fingerprint detection modules have separate regions for these components, requiring a thick cover glass with precise holes, which affects appearance, reliability, and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
Integrating a touch screen and fingerprint detection module as a single assembly with two glass layers, where the upper glass layer is hardened and without openings, and the lower layer has an opening for the module, providing mechanical strength and eliminating the need for a visible hole, thus improving appearance and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a separate region with a hole in the cover glass is used for the fingerprint detection module, then the fingerprint sensor can be integrated, but the appearance is compromised and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fingerprint detection module is repositioned from a through-hole configuration to an underneath configuration, moving it to a different spatial dimension. The module is now located beneath the continuous cover glass rather than requiring an opening through it, allowing the cover glass to maintain its full surface integrity while still accommodating the fingerprint sensor functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The fingerprint detection module is nested within the structure formed by the support glass layer opening, which itself is nested within the overall touch screen assembly. This nested arrangement allows the module to be housed within the device structure without compromising the outer cover glass surface.
2Strength
If a thick cover glass with precise holes is used to accommodate separate components, then mechanical strength is maintained, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The touch screen and fingerprint detection module are merged into a single integrated assembly. The support glass layer serves dual purposes: it provides mechanical strength like the cover glass while simultaneously containing the opening for the fingerprint module. This consolidation reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The support glass layer performs multiple functions: it provides structural support similar to the cover glass, contains the opening for the fingerprint detection module, and serves as part of the integrated assembly structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function.
3Ease of operation
If a through-hole is created in the hardened cover glass for the fingerprint sensor, then the sensor can be accessed, but manufacturing precision and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The access point for the fingerprint sensor is moved from the top surface (requiring a through-hole in the cover glass) to the underlying support glass layer. The opening is now created in the support glass rather than the hardened cover glass, changing the dimensional location of the access point and eliminating the need for high-precision hole creation in the finished cover glass.
Solution Approach 2:
The opening for the fingerprint detection module is created in the support glass layer during the assembly process before the final cover glass is attached. This preliminary action allows the opening to be formed in a less critical component, avoiding the need for high-precision hole creation in the finished cover glass assembly.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This integration enhances device appearance, fingerprint sensor performance, and reliability while significantly reducing manufacturing costs by eliminating the need for precise holes in the cover glass.
Implementation Method 1
The hardened cover glass and the support glass layer are bonded to provide a desired mechanical strength for the touch screen assembly
Implementation Method 2
The integrated touch screen/fingerprint sensor assembly senses a contact by an object, such as a finger, through the hardened cover glass
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and techniques are provided for integrating a touch screen with a fingerprint detection module as an assembly for a mobile device. The integrated touch screen/fingerprint sensor assembly includes at least two glass layers bonded together to provide overall mechanical strength for the touch screen display. The upper glass layer is a toughened/hardened cover glass that does not have an opening for fitting the fingerprint detection module through this glass layer. The lower glass layer is a support glass layer underneath the hardened cover glass to provide additional mechanical strength and to include an opening at a location close to an end of the support glass layer. The integrated touch screen/fingerprint sensor assembly also includes a fingerprint detection module positioned within the opening of the support glass layer and directly underneath the hardened cover glass.