Pixel architecture and driving scheme for biometric sensing

• US 10,430,633 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Hargreaves, Kirk, Akhavan Fomani, Arash, Smith, Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayat, Ali
• Application Number:
  US15/612,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20180204037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 382124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

Embodiments herein describe an input device that includes a rectangular array of sensor electrodes connected to sensor modules that measure capacitive sensing signals corresponding to the electrodes. When performing code division multiplexing (CDM), multiple sensor electrodes are coupled to the same sensor module. As such, the sensor module generates a measurement that represents the sum of the charges on the sensor electrodes rather than an individual charge on a single sensor electrode. By repeatedly sensing multiple sensor electrodes in parallel, the input device can determine a change of capacitance for each individual sensor electrode.

Claims

1. A processing system for a fingerprint sensor, the processing system comprising:

a controller circuit configured to;

charge a first sensor electrode of a plurality of sensor electrodes to a first voltage, wherein the plurality of sensor electrodes are disposed in an array;

charge a second sensor electrode to a second voltage different from the first voltage, wherein the first and second voltages are assigned to the first and second sensor electrodes according to a code, and wherein the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode are disposed in a same column in the array;

after charging the first and second sensor electrodes, couple the first and second sensor electrodes simultaneously to a same analog front end (AFE) to sense a combined charge on the first and second sensor electrodes; and

determine a fingerprint based at least in part on the sensed combined charge on the first and second sensor electrodes.

2. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the controller circuit is configured to:

repeatedly charge the first and second sensor electrodes according to the code and generate multiple measurements of the combined charge using the same AFE,

wherein the processing system is configured to determine a first individual change in capacitance corresponding to the first sensor electrode and a second individual change in capacitance corresponding to the second sensor electrode using the multiple measurements of the combined charge.

3. The processing system of claim 2, wherein the code comprises an N number of combinations of driving the plurality of sensor electrodes to determine individual charges stored on an N number of the plurality of sensor electrodes.

4. The processing system of claim 1, wherein the first voltage is a positive voltage relative to a reference voltage and the second voltage is a negative voltage relative to the reference voltage.

5. The processing system of claim 4, wherein after sensing the combined charge of the first and second sensor electrodes, the controller circuit is configured to:

charge the first sensor electrode to the second voltage according to the code;

charge the second sensor electrode to the first voltage according to the code; and

after charging the first and second sensor electrodes to the second and first voltages, respectively, couple the first and second sensor electrodes simultaneously to the same AFE to sense a different combined charge on the first and second sensor electrodes.

6. An input device, comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes disposed in columns forming an array, wherein each of the columns comprises a sense line coupled to an AFE and respective transistors selectively coupling sensor electrodes in the column to the sense line; and

a processing system comprising an AFE coupled to the sense line, wherein the AFE is configured to;

charge a first sensor electrode in at least one of the columns to a first voltage;

charge a second sensor electrode in the at least one of the columns to a second voltage different from the first voltage; and

after charging the first and second sensor electrodes, measure a combined charge on the first and second sensor electrodes in parallel; and

wherein the processing system is configured to determine a fingerprint based at least in part on the measured combined charge on the first and second sensor electrodes.

7. The input device of claim 6, wherein the AFE comprises a first switch selectively coupling an operational amplifier to the sense line and a second switch selectively coupling a driver to the sense line, wherein the first switch is open and the second switch is closed when charging the first and second sensor electrodes and the first switch is closed and the second switch is open when measuring the combined charge.

8. The input device of claim 6, wherein the AFE comprises a driver coupled to a first input of an operational amplifier while the sense line is coupled to a second input of the operational amplifier, wherein the driver is configured to charge the first and second sensor electrodes to the first and second voltages using the operational amplifier and the sense line.