Piezoelectric Identification Device and Applications Thereof

• US 20100239133A1
• Filed: 03/23/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonavation, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonavation, Inc.
• Inventors: Schmitt, Rainer M., Liautaud, Christian
• Granted Patent: US 8,508,103 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0629 Square array
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

Provided is a transducer having first and second surfaces including first electrode lines positioned along the first surface in a first direction and configured for grounding and second electrode lines positioned along the second surface in a direction orthogonal to the first direction. The second electrode lines are configured switching between receiving and transmitting in an interlaced manner.

Claims

1. A transducer having first and second surfaces, comprising:

first electrode lines positioned along the first surface in a first direction and configured for grounding; and

second electrode lines positioned along the second surface in a direction orthogonal to the first direction;

wherein the second electrode lines are configured switching between receiving and transmitting in an interlaced manner.

2. The transducer of claim 1, wherein the lines configured for receiving and the lines configured for transmitting are configured for alternately receiving and transmitting.

3. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:

a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having less than fourteen thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array and spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately two hundred microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and

a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger; and

an input signal generator that applies an AC voltage signal across said less than fourteen thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements.

4. A transducer having first and second surfaces, comprising:

first electrode lines positioned along the first surface in a first direction; and

second electrode lines positioned along the second surface in a direction orthogonal to the first direction;

wherein transmitting and receiving functions are alternately switched between the first and second electrode lines.

5. The transducer of claim 4, wherein the first and second electrode lines are alternately grounded.

6. The transducer of claim 4, wherein only selected adjacent ones of the first and second electrode lines perform the transmitting and receiving.

7. A transducer having first and second surfaces, comprising:

first electrode lines positioned along the first surface in a first direction; and

second electrode lines positioned along the second surface in a direction orthogonal to the first direction;

wherein selected adjacent ones of the first electrode lines are configured as a sub-aperture.

8. The transducer of claim 7, wherein different selected adjacent ones of the first electrode lines are configured as the sub-aperture at different times.

9. The transducer of claim 8, wherein only one sub-aperture is configured at any one time.