Method and Apparatuses of Transparent Fingerprint Imager Integrated with Touch Display Device

• US 20140218327A1
• Filed: 02/04/2013
• Published: 08/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Weidong Shi, Yang Lu
• Original Assignee: Weidong Shi, Yang Lu
• Inventors: Shi, Weidong, Lu, Yang
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,690 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/12 Fingerprints or palmprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1318 using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing

Abstract

The present invention describes a transparent fingerprint imaging apparatus wherein said apparatus comprises, a plurality of column lines, a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells wherein a fingerprint capacitance sensing cell further comprises, a fingerprint capacitor comprising a transparent capacitance detecting electrode and a transparent capacitance-detecting dielectric layer, a transparent reference capacitor coupled with said fingerprint capacitor with one electrode connecting to the fingerprint capacitor, and an amplification transparent TFT (thin-film transistor) wherein the gate electrode of the amplification transparent TFT connects to the transparent capacitance detecting electrode, one terminal of said amplification transparent TFT connects to a data line and the other terminal connects to a scan line.

Claims

1. A transparent fingerprint imaging apparatus comprises,

a plurality of column lines wherein each column line is coupled with a collection of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells;

a plurality of scan lines wherein each scan line is coupled with a collection of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells;

a plurality of data lines wherein each data line is coupled with a collection of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells; and

a plurality of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells wherein each fingerprint capacitance sensing cell further comprises, a fingerprint capacitor comprising a transparent capacitance detecting electrode and a transparent capacitance-detecting dielectric layer, a transparent reference capacitor coupled with said fingerprint capacitor with one electrode connecting to the fingerprint capacitor, a transparent TFT (thin-film transistor) wherein said transparent TFT with one terminal connecting to a scan line and another terminal connecting to a column line, and an amplification transparent TFT (thin-film transistor) wherein the gate electrode of the amplification transparent TFT connects to the transparent capacitance detecting electrode, one terminal of said amplification transparent TFT connects to a data line and the other terminal connects to a scan line.

2. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the transparent TFT is a transparent nanowire based TFT.

3. The apparatus in claim 2 wherein the transparent nanowire based TFT is a ZnO nanowire transistor.

4. The apparatus in claim 2 wherein the transparent nanowire based TFT is a In₂O₃ nanowire transistor.

5. The apparatus in claim 2 wherein the transparent nanowire based TFT is a SnO₂ nanowire transistor.

6. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the transparent TFT is a transparent organic thin-film transistor.

7. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the transparent capacitance-detecting dielectric layer comprises a transparent conductive oxide film.

8. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the column line comprises a transparent conducting film.

9. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the scan line comprises a transparent conducting film.

10. The apparatus in claim 1 wherein the data line comprises a transparent conducting film.

11. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprises a collection of amplifiers wherein an amplifier connects to a data line.

12. The apparatus in claim 11 further comprises a collection of comparators coupled with the amplifiers.

13. A fingerprint biometric touch display apparatus comprises,

an electronic touch panel wherein said touch panel can sense touch position of one human finger or multiple human fingers;

a transparent electronic display wherein said transparent electronic display can display visual output;

an optical fingerprint imaging layer wherein said optical fingerprint imaging layer comprises a plurality of optical fingerprint imagers;

14. The apparatus in claim 13 wherein the optical fingerprint imager further comprises, a prism, a lens, and a camera.

15. The apparatus in claim 13 wherein the optical fingerprint imager further comprises, a micro-lens array, and a plurality of image sensors coupled with the micro-lens array.

16. The apparatus in claim 13 wherein the electronic touch panel is situated between the electronic display and the optical fingerprint imaging layer.

17. The apparatus in claim 13 wherein the electronic display is situated between the electronic touch panel and the optical fingerprint imaging layer.

18. The apparatus in claim 13 wherein the electronic touch panel is integrated with the electronic display.

19. A fingerprint biometric touch display apparatus comprises,

a transparent electronic display wherein said transparent electronic display can display visual output;

a fingerprint sensing layer wherein said fingerprint sensing layer comprises one or a plurality of transparent capacitive fingerprint imagers wherein said fingerprint imager further comprises a plurality of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells wherein a fingerprint capacitance sensing cell connects to a data line, a scan line, and a column line, a driving element coupled with the fingerprint imagers wherein said driving element further comprises a scan line shift register coupled with the fingerprint imager scan lines and a column driver coupled with the fingerprint imager column lines, an electronic storage device coupled with the fingerprint imagers wherein said electronic storage device connects to the data lines of the fingerprint imagers; and

an electronic touch sensing layer wherein said touch sensing layer can sense touch position of one human finger or multiple human fingers.

20. The apparatus in claim 19 wherein the transparent capacitive fingerprint imager further comprises,

a plurality of column lines wherein each column line is coupled with a collection of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells;

a plurality of scan lines wherein each scan line is coupled with a collection of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells;

a plurality of data lines wherein each data line is coupled with a collection of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells; and

a plurality of fingerprint capacitance sensing cells wherein each fingerprint capacitance sensing cell further comprises, a fingerprint capacitor comprising a transparent capacitance detecting electrode and a transparent capacitance-detecting dielectric layer, a transparent reference capacitor coupled with said fingerprint capacitor with one electrode connecting to the fingerprint capacitor, a transparent TFT (thin-film transistor) wherein said transparent TFT with one terminal connecting to a scan line and another terminal connecting to a column line, and an amplification transparent TFT (thin-film transistor) wherein the gate electrode of the amplification transparent TFT connects to the transparent capacitance detecting electrode, one terminal of said amplification transparent TFT connects to a data line and the other terminal connects to a scan line.