Electronic device with shared near field communications and sensor structures

摘要

An electronic device may have electrical components such as sensors. A sensor may have sensor circuitry that gathers sensor data using a conductive structure. The sensor may be a touch sensor that uses the conductive structure to form a capacitive touch sensor electrode or may be a fingerprint sensor that uses the conductive structure with a fingerprint electrode array to handle fingerprint sensor signals. Near field communications circuitry may be included in an electronic device. When operated in a sensor mode, the sensor circuitry may use the conductive structure to gather a fingerprint or other sensor data. When operated in near field communications mode, the near field communications circuitry can use the conductive structure to transmit and receive capacitively coupled or inductively coupled near field communications signals. A fingerprint sensor may have optical structures that communicate with external equipment.

主权项

1. An electronic device, comprising:
an array of conductive structures and an inductor that surrounds the array of conductive structures; sensor circuitry that is coupled to the array of conductive structures and the inductor and that is configured to gather sensor data using the array of conductive structures and the inductor; and near field communications circuitry that is coupled to the inductor and that is configured to receive near field communications signals with the inductor, wherein signals are provided to an external object from the sensor circuitry through the inductor, wherein the signals are coupled from the external object to the array of conductive structures, wherein the array of conductive structures provides the signals to the sensor circuitry; and near field communications circuitry that is coupled to the inductor and that is configured to receive near field communications signals with the inductor, wherein the near field communications circuitry comprises a near field communications transceiver that is coupled to the inductor and configured to transmit and receive rear field communications signals with the inductor.