Patents by Inventor Shengmin Wen

Shengmin Wen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230206683
    Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a cover layer and a first sensor apparatus. The cover layer is molded from a first material to have a planar surface and non-uniform thickness, where a thickness of the first material at a first region of the cover layer is less than a thickness of the first material surrounding the first region. The first sensor apparatus is disposed beneath the planar surface of the cover layer, within the first region. The first sensor apparatus is configured to transmit and receive first capacitive sensing signals through a portion of the planar surface coinciding with the first region. For example, the first sensor apparatus may be a fingerprint sensor configured to detect a fingerprint on the portion of the planar surface coinciding with the first region based on changes in the first capacitive sensing signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2023
    Publication date: June 29, 2023
    Applicant: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Yeh-Cheng TAN, Shengmin WEN
  • Patent number: 11625945
    Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a cover layer and a first sensor apparatus. The cover layer is molded from a first material to have a planar surface and non-uniform thickness, where a thickness of the first material at a first region of the cover layer is less than a thickness of the first material surrounding the first region. The first sensor apparatus is disposed beneath the planar surface of the cover layer, within the first region. The first sensor apparatus is configured to transmit and receive first capacitive sensing signals through a portion of the planar surface coinciding with the first region. For example, the first sensor apparatus may be a fingerprint sensor configured to detect a fingerprint on the portion of the planar surface coinciding with the first region based on changes in the first capacitive sensing signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2023
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Yeh-Cheng Tan, Shengmin Wen
  • Publication number: 20210397809
    Abstract: A sensor assembly includes a cover layer and a first sensor apparatus. The cover layer is molded from a first material to have a planar surface and non-uniform thickness, where a thickness of the first material at a first region of the cover layer is less than a thickness of the first material surrounding the first region. The first sensor apparatus is disposed beneath the planar surface of the cover layer, within the first region. The first sensor apparatus is configured to transmit and receive first capacitive sensing signals through a portion of the planar surface coinciding with the first region. For example, the first sensor apparatus may be a fingerprint sensor configured to detect a fingerprint on the portion of the planar surface coinciding with the first region based on changes in the first capacitive sensing signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Publication date: December 23, 2021
    Inventors: Yeh-Cheng TAN, Shengmin WEN
  • Publication number: 20210064090
    Abstract: A semiconductor assembly for a display device comprises a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) chip and an interposer coupled to the DDIC chip. The DDIC chip comprises a plurality of output pads and a plurality of input pads. Further, the DDIC chip is configured to drive a plurality of data lines of the display device to update an active region of the display device. The interposer comprises a plurality of output pads coupled to the plurality of output pads of the DDIC chip and is configured to be coupled to the plurality of data lines of the display device. The interposer further comprises a plurality of input pads coupled to the plurality of input pads of the DDIC chip pads. Further, a width of the interposer is at least as large as a distance between outermost data lines of the plurality of data lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Inventors: Shengmin WEN, Qing XIAO, Jason GOODELLE, Joseph Kurth REYNOLDS
  • Patent number: 10921855
    Abstract: A semiconductor assembly for a display device comprises a display driver integrated circuit (DDIC) chip and an interposer coupled to the DDIC chip. The DDIC chip comprises a plurality of output pads and a plurality of input pads. Further, the DDIC chip is configured to drive a plurality of data lines of the display device to update an active region of the display device. The interposer comprises a plurality of output pads coupled to the plurality of output pads of the DDIC chip and is configured to be coupled to the plurality of data lines of the display device. The interposer further comprises a plurality of input pads coupled to the plurality of input pads of the DDIC chip pads. Further, a width of the interposer is at least as large as a distance between outermost data lines of the plurality of data lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Shengmin Wen, Qing Xiao, Jason Goodelle, Joseph Kurth Reynolds
  • Patent number: 10338754
    Abstract: An input device for capacitive sensing includes: a plurality of sensor electrodes, the plurality of sensor electrodes comprising a plurality of transmitter electrodes and a plurality of receiver electrodes, wherein the plurality of transmitter electrodes is configured to be driven by sensing signals and the plurality of receiver electrodes is configured to receive detected signals corresponding to respective sensing signals driven onto the plurality of transmitter electrodes; a plurality of transmitter electrode vias, wherein each transmitter electrode via corresponds to a respective transmitter electrode of the plurality of transmitter electrodes; and conductive shielding, configured to mitigate effects of the plurality of transmitter electrode vias on the detected signals received on one or more receiver electrodes of the plurality of receiver electrodes, wherein the conductive shielding comprises: a first portion disposed above the plurality of transmitter electrode vias; and a second portion disposed outs
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Ozan Ersan Erdogan, Shengmin Wen, Brett Dunlap
  • Patent number: 10055631
    Abstract: A sensor package and a method of forming a sensor package are disclosed. The sensor package comprises: a multilayer substrate comprising a mold compound layer and a plurality of patterned metal layers; an embedded die embedded in the multilayer substrate, wherein the mold compound layer of the multilayer substrate surrounds the embedded die; and, a sensing element disposed over the multilayer substrate, the sensing element comprising a first patterned metal layer electrically connected to the embedded die through the multilayer substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventors: Shengmin Wen, Brett Dunlap, Jay Kim
  • Patent number: 9785821
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor a method of making a capacitive sensor are disclosed. The capacitive sensor includes: a plurality of rows of sensor electrodes included in a first layer; a plurality of columns of sensor electrodes included in a second layer, where the plurality of columns of sensor electrodes are arranged orthogonally to the plurality of rows of sensor electrodes to form a two-dimensional sensing array; and, a plurality of conductive elements included in a third layer disposed between the first and second layers, wherein, for each conductive element of the plurality of conductive elements, a first end of the conductive element is electrically connected to a sensor electrode in the plurality of rows of sensor electrodes and a second end of the conductive element is capacitively coupled to a sensor electrode in the plurality of columns of sensor electrodes to form a trans-capacitive sensing pixel of the two-dimensional sensing array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2017
    Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
    Inventor: Shengmin Wen
  • Publication number: 20170177113
    Abstract: An input device for capacitive sensing includes: a plurality of sensor electrodes, the plurality of sensor electrodes comprising a plurality of transmitter electrodes and a plurality of receiver electrodes, wherein the plurality of transmitter electrodes is configured to be driven by sensing signals and the plurality of receiver electrodes is configured to receive detected signals corresponding to respective sensing signals driven onto the plurality of transmitter electrodes; a plurality of transmitter electrode vias, wherein each transmitter electrode via corresponds to a respective transmitter electrode of the plurality of transmitter electrodes; and conductive shielding, configured to mitigate effects of the plurality of transmitter electrode vias on the detected signals received on one or more receiver electrodes of the plurality of receiver electrodes, wherein the conductive shielding comprises: a first portion disposed above the plurality of transmitter electrode vias; and a second portion disposed outs
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventors: Guozhong Shen, Ozan Ersan Erdogan, Shengmin Wen, Brett Dunlap
  • Publication number: 20170061187
    Abstract: A capacitive sensor a method of making a capacitive sensor are disclosed. The capacitive sensor includes: a plurality of rows of sensor electrodes included in a first layer; a plurality of columns of sensor electrodes included in a second layer, where the plurality of columns of sensor electrodes are arranged orthogonally to the plurality of rows of sensor electrodes to form a two-dimensional sensing array; and, a plurality of conductive elements included in a third layer disposed between the first and second layers, wherein, for each conductive element of the plurality of conductive elements, a first end of the conductive element is electrically connected to a sensor electrode in the plurality of rows of sensor electrodes and a second end of the conductive element is capacitively coupled to a sensor electrode in the plurality of columns of sensor electrodes to form a trans-capacitive sensing pixel of the two-dimensional sensing array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventor: Shengmin Wen
  • Publication number: 20110097699
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are a magnetically erasable writable educational flash card and method for making the same. The method uses a flash card comprising magnetic display panel, a magnetic die of predetermined pattern such as text character of a language, Arabic numeral, symbol or graphical picture of a learning subject, and a magnetic eraser. To make an educational flash card, a controlled repeated small amplitude sliding movement is applied to the flash card's magnetic display panel in contact with the face of the magnetic die resulting visual display of a mirrored silhouette of the magnetic die's predetermined pattern being created on the magnetic display panel. Two or more such cards comprise an educational flash card set for young children. The advantages of such flash card set include: more effective and enjoyable learning through participation, ergonomically fitful for fine motor skills development, better structured and creative learning, and changeable displaying indicia.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2009
    Publication date: April 28, 2011
    Inventor: Shengmin Wen
  • Publication number: 20110065081
    Abstract: The invention provides an electrically erasable writable educational flash card comprising electronic display that displays prescribed patterns such as text characters of a language, Arabic numbers, and graphics pictures of a learning subject. Two or more of such cards comprise a youth oriented subject learning educational flash card set. Such card has a look of conventional paper flash card but with advantages: user can erase and write the displaying contents—making the learning activities more enjoyable and effective; the card is ergonomically fitful for young children to play with; and the card does not consume conventional paper, which is made from plant, trees in particular, and therefore conserves forest and environment. The invention further provides an electronic card writer for user to electrically erase and write the contents on the card's display. Alternatively, a commercially available computer or an electronic paper printer can be adapted as an electronic card writer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Inventor: Shengmin Wen