Electronic device including optical dispersion finger sensor and associated methods

• US 20050063571A1
• Filed: 09/03/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: AuthenTec Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Jones, Richard J., Franza, Gordon S., Setlak, Dale R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,915,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1335 Combining adjacent partial images (e.g. slices) to create a composite input or reference pattern; Tracking a sweeping finger movement
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1394 using acquisition arrangements

Abstract

An electronic device includes a portable housing, an optical source carried by the portable housing, and an optical dispersion finger sensor carried by the portable housing. The sensor may include an integrated circuit substrate adjacent the optical source so that light propagates into and is dispersed by the user'"'"'s finger with at least a portion of the dispersed light exiting the user'"'"'s finger in a direction toward the integrated circuit substrate. The sensor may also include at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel on the substrate for sensing dispersed light from the user'"'"'s finger to be used to generate optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger. A processor may be connected to the one or more sensing pixels to enable at least one device function based upon the optical dispersion biometric data.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a portable housing;

an optical source carried by said portable housing;

an optical dispersion finger sensor carried by said portable housing and comprising

an integrated circuit substrate adjacent said optical source so that light propagates into and is dispersed by the user'"'"'s finger with at least a portion of the dispersed light exiting the user'"'"'s finger in a direction toward said integrated circuit substrate, and

at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel on said integrated circuit substrate for sensing dispersed light from the user'"'"'s finger to generate optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger; and

a processor carried by said portable housing and connected to said at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel to enable at least one device function based upon the optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger.

2. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said optical source comprises:

an optical generator; and

an optical guide having an input connected to said optical generator, and a first output exposed on said portable housing adjacent said optical dispersion finger sensor.

3. An electronic device according to claim 2 wherein said optical guide further has a second output;

and further comprising at least one user input key carried by said portable housing and being lighted by the second output of said optical guide.

4. An electronic device according to claim 1 further comprising a power supply-carried by said portable housing and connected to said optical source.

5. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data comprises light intensity data along at least one dimension of the user'"'"'s finger.

6. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data comprises subdermal structure data for the user'"'"'s finger.

7. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said processor further comprises a matcher for determining a match between the optical dispersion biometric data of the user'"'"'s finger and stored optical dispersion biometric data for an enrolled user.

8. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said optical source comprises a broadband optical source operating over a broadband frequency range;

and wherein said at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel comprises optical dispersion sensing pixels having different frequency sensitivities within the broadband frequency range.

9. An electronic device according to claim 8 wherein said optical dispersion sensing pixels having different frequency sensitivities comprise buried optical detectors being buried at different depths to provide different frequency sensitivities.

10. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said processor generates the optical dispersion biometric data based upon static placement of the user'"'"'s finger adjacent said integrated circuit substrate.

11. An electronic device according to claim 1 wherein said processor generates the optical dispersion biometric data based upon sliding placement of the user'"'"'s finger adjacent said integrated circuit substrate.

12. An electronic device accordingly to claim 1 wherein said integrated circuit substrate comprises single crystal silicon.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a portable housing;

an optical generator carried by said portable housing;

an optical guide having an input connected to said optical generator, a first output exposed on said portable housing, and a second output;

at least one user input key carried by said portable housing and connected to the second output of said optical guide; and

an optical dispersion finger sensor carried by said portable housing and comprising

an integrated circuit substrate adjacent the first output of said optical guide so that light propagates into and is dispersed by the user'"'"'s finger with at least a portion of the dispersed light exiting the user'"'"'s finger in a direction toward said integrated circuit substrate, and

at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel on said integrated circuit substrate for sensing dispersed light from the user'"'"'s finger to generate optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger.

14. An electronic device according to claim 13 further comprising a power supply carried by said portable housing and connected to optical generator.

15. An electronic device according to claim 13 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data comprises light intensity data along at least one dimension of the user'"'"'s finger.

16. An electronic device according to claim 13 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data comprises subdermal structure data for the user'"'"'s finger.

17. An electronic device according to claim 13 wherein said optical source comprises a broadband optical source operating over a broadband frequency range;

and wherein said at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel comprises optical dispersion sensing pixels having different frequency sensitivities within the broadband frequency range.

18. An electronic device according to claim 17 wherein said optical dispersion sensing pixels having different frequency sensitivities comprise buried optical detectors being buried at different depths to provide different frequency sensitivities.

19. An electronic device according to claim 13 further comprising a processor carried by said portable housing and connected to said at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel to enable at least one device function based upon the optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger.

20. An electronic device according to claim 19 wherein said processor generates the optical dispersion biometric data based upon static placement of the user'"'"'s finger adjacent said integrated circuit substrate.

21. An electronic device according to claim 19 wherein said processor generates the optical dispersion biometric data based upon sliding placement of the user'"'"'s finger adjacent said integrated circuit substrate.

22. An electronic device accordingly to claim 13 wherein said integrated circuit substrate comprises single crystal silicon.

23. A method for enabling at least one function of an electronic device comprising a portable housing, an optical source carried by the portable housing, and a processor carried by the portable housing, the method comprising:

using an optical dispersion finger sensor carried by the portable housing and comprising an integrated circuit substrate adjacent the optical source so that light propagates into and is dispersed by the user'"'"'s finger with at least a portion of the dispersed light exiting the user'"'"'s finger in a direction toward the integrated circuit substrate, and at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel on the integrated circuit substrate for sensing dispersed light from the user'"'"'s finger to generate optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger; and

enabling at least one device function based upon the optical dispersion biometric data from the user'"'"'s finger.

24. A method according to claim 23 wherein the optical source comprises:

an optical generator; and

an optical guide having an input connected to the optical generator, and a first output exposed on the portable housing adjacent the optical dispersion finger sensor.

25. A method according to claim 24 wherein the optical guide further has a second output;

and further comprising lighting at least one user input key carried by the portable housing by the second output of the optical guide.

26. A method according to claim 23 further comprising a display screen carried by the portable housing and connected to the processor.

27. A method according to claim 23 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data comprises light intensity data along at least one dimension of the user'"'"'s finger.

28. A method according to claim 23 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data comprises subdermal structure data for the user'"'"'s finger.

29. A method according to claim 23 further comprising determining a match between the optical dispersion biometric data of the user'"'"'s finger and stored optical dispersion biometric data for an enrolled user.

30. A method according to claim 23 wherein the optical source comprises a broadband optical source operating over a broadband frequency range;

and wherein the at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel comprises optical dispersion sensing pixels having different frequency sensitivities within the broadband frequency range.

31. A method according to claim 23 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data is based upon static placement of the user'"'"'s finger adjacent the integrated circuit substrate.

32. A method according to claim 23 wherein the optical dispersion biometric data is based upon sliding placement of the user'"'"'s finger adjacent the integrated circuit substrate.