Authentication system having a flexible imaging pressure sensor

• US 20060273417A1
• Filed: 06/28/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Springworks, LLC (Petters Group Worldwide LLC)
• Inventors: Pritikin, Joseph J., Ganapathi, Srinivasan K.
• Granted Patent: US 7,409,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/415
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/142 using capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/205 using distributed sensing elements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

A sensor for a textured surface (e.g., a fingerprint) is provided. The sensor includes a flexible substrate and a flexible membrane supported above the substrate by one or more spacers. The sensor also includes multiple pressure sensor elements responsive to a separation between parts of the membrane and corresponding parts of the substrate. The membrane is conformable to the textured surface being sensed, so the variation in separation between substrate and membrane is representative of the textured surface being sensed. Such pressure sensors can be included in fingerprint authentication subsystems including associated integrated electronic circuitry (e.g., encryption, image processing, fingerprint matching, communication and/or location determination circuitry). Such subsystems can be included in various access control systems (e.g., smart cards and mobile electronics). Unpackaged IC chips can be included on the flexible substrate or can be disposed on a separate electronics substrate attached to the sensor.

Claims

21-1. The system of claim 1, wherein said subsystem provides one or more functions selected from the group consisting of:

fingerprint image capture, fingerprint image processing, fingerprint image storage, fingerprint matching, authentication, encryption, cursor control, on/off switching, access control, transaction authorization, wireless communication, and location determination.