MULTIFUNCTION FINGERPRINT SENSOR HAVING OPTICAL SENSING AGAINST FINGERPRINT SPOOFING

• US 20170124370A1
• Filed: 11/02/2016
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Goodix Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Shenzhen Huiding Technology Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: He, Yi, Pi, Bo
• Granted Patent: US 10,438,046 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 40/1376 Matching features related to ridge properties or fingerprint texture
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1394 using acquisition arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/40 Spoof detection, e.g. liveness detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/70 Multimodal biometrics, e.g. combining information from different biometric modalities

Abstract

The disclosed technology provides optical anti-proofing techniques in fingerprints sensing in devices or systems that use fingerprint identification for controlling access. The disclosed technology uses a fingerprint sensor to detect a contact input associated with a source of a fingerprint; generates an image signal from the fingerprint sensor responsive to the detected contact input that is indicative of one or more images of the fingerprint; uses an optical biometric sensor that is separate from the fingerprint sensor to generate a biometric marker detection signal indicative of a biometric marker different from the fingerprint; and processes, by processing circuitry, the generated image signal and the biometric marker detection signal to determine whether the detected contact and the associated one or more fingerprint images are from a finger of a live person who makes the contact input.

Claims

1. A fingerprint sensor device, comprising:

a touch panel with an integrated touch sensor module, the integrated touch sensor module including;

sensing circuitry to generate a sensor signal responsive to detecting a contact input associated with a fingerprint, the sensing circuitry including;

a capacitive fingerprint sensor to detect the contact input and generate a signal indicative of an image of the fingerprint as part of the sensor signal, and

an optical biometric sensor to generate a signal indicative of a biometric marker different from the fingerprint as part of the sensor signal; and

processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the sensing circuitry to process the generated sensor signal to determine whether the contact input associated with the fingerprint belongs to a finger of a live person.

2. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 1, wherein the touch panel includes multiple layers including a display screen and the integrated sensor module is packaged adjacent to the display screen.

3. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 1, wherein the optical biometric sensor is configured to generate the signal indicative of the biometric marker including a person'"'"'s heartbeat.

4. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 1, wherein the optical biometric sensor is configured to generate the signal indicative of the biometric marker including a parameter of a person'"'"'s blood flow.

5. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to analyze the signal indicative of the image of the fingerprint to identify dynamic changes in image details over a period of time.

6. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 1, wherein:

the optical biometric sensor includes a light source configured to emit probe light toward a location of the contact input and to generate signal light carrying information associated with the contact input including ridges and valleys of a finger when the finger is the contact input;

the capacitive fingerprint sensor includes an array of capacitive sensing pixels for sensing different parts of the contact input to generate pixel signals that are collectively indicative of an image of the fingerprint; and

the optical biometric sensor includes an array of optical sensors that are distributed in the array of capacitive sensing pixels of the capacitive fingerprint sensor, one optical sensor per capacitive sensing pixel, each optical sensor operable to capture scattered light from a respective part of the contact input to produce an optical sensor output, wherein optical sensor outputs from the optical sensors collectively form a second image of the fingerprint and are further indicative of the biometric marker different from the fingerprint.

7. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 6, wherein the optical biometric sensor includes optical collimators distributed over the array of optical sensors, wherein each optical collimator is located to collect scattered light from a respective part of the contact input to a corresponding optical sensor.

8. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 1, wherein:

the optical biometric sensor includes (1) one or more light sources to produce probe light to illuminate a location of the contact input and to generate signal light carrying information associated with the contact input including ridges and valleys of a finger when the finger is the contact input, and (2) optical sensors distributed at different locations to receive the signal light from the location of the contact input to produce optical sensor signals that collectively represent the biometric marker different from the fingerprint.

9. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 8, wherein:

the optical sensors are at different distances from the one or more light sources.

10. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 8, wherein:

the optical sensors are located near and outside the capacitive fingerprint sensor.

11. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 8, wherein:

the optical sensors are located within and integrated to the capacitive fingerprint sensor.

12. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 11, wherein:

at least one optical sensor is located at or near a central area of the capacitive fingerprint sensor.

13. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 12, wherein

each of other optical sensors is located near an edge of the capacitive fingerprint sensor.

14. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 8, wherein:

the one or more light sources produce the probe light at different optical wavelengths at which the blood exhibits different optical absorption levels; and

the processing circuitry processes optical absorption information at the different optical wavelengths from the optical sensors to determine whether the contact input associated with the fingerprint belongs to a finger of a live person.

15. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 8, wherein:

the processing circuitry processes the optical sensor signals from the optical sensors at the different locations to determine whether the contact input contains a non-human tissue material at the location of the contact input.

16. The fingerprint sensor device of claim 15, wherein:

the processing circuitry processes a signal ratio of the optical sensor signals from two different optical sensors at two different locations to determine whether the contact input contains a non-human tissue material at the location of the contact input.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a device processor that performs functions of the electronic device;

a touch panel in communication with the device processor as an user interface to operate the electronic device;

a fingerprint sensor in communication with the device processor and operable to detect a contact input associated with a fingerprint and generate a signal indicative of an image of the fingerprint;

an optical biometric sensor that includes (1) a light source configured to emit probe light toward a location of the contact input and to generate signal light carrying information associated with the contact input including ridges and valleys of a finger when the finger is the contact input, and (2) an optical sensor located to receive the signal light from the location of the contact input and to convert the received signal light into the signal indicative of an identification of a biometric marker different from the fingerprint; and

fingerprint processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the sensing circuitry to process the generated sensor signal to determine whether the contact input associated with the fingerprint belongs to a finger of a live person,

wherein the device processor is configured to permit or deny an access to the touch panel to operate the electronic device based on a determination of the processing circuitry from the both the image of the fingerprint and whether the fingerprint belongs to a finger of a live person who is authorized to access the electronic device.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the electronic device includes a portable device.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the electronic device includes a terminal for a system.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the fingerprint sensor includes a capacitive fingerprint sensor that includes an array of capacitive sensing pixels to capture the image of the fingerprint by measuring capacitances at the capacitive sensing pixels.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the fingerprint sensor includes an optical fingerprint sensor that includes an array of optical sensing pixels to optically capture the image of the fingerprint.

22. The electronic device of claim 17, comprising:

a contiguous top dielectric layer that covers the touch panel and includes a portion that is located above the fingerprint sensor and the optical biometric sensor, wherein the portion of the contiguous top dielectric layer located above the fingerprint sensor and the optical biometric sensor includes an opening to expose the fingerprint sensor and the optical biometric sensor.

23. The electronic device of claim 17, comprising:

a contiguous top dielectric layer that covers the touch panel, the fingerprint sensor, and the optical biometric sensor and provides a touch sensing surface to the touch panel and a fingerprint sensing area for the optical biometric sensor.

24. A method of identifying a fingerprint from a finger of a live person during a fingerprint scan, comprising:

using a fingerprint sensor to detect a contact input associated with a source of a fingerprint;

generating an image signal from the fingerprint sensor responsive to the detected contact input, wherein the generated image signal from the capacitive fingerprint sensor is indicative of one or more images of the fingerprint;

using an optical biometric sensor that is separate from the fingerprint sensor to illuminate the location of the contact input to produce scattered light and to detect the scattered light from the contact input to generate a biometric marker detection signal indicative of a biometric marker different from the fingerprint;

processing, by processing circuitry, the generated image signal and the biometric marker detection signal to determine whether the detected contact and the associated one or more fingerprint images are from a finger of a live person who makes the contact input.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein processing the biometric marker detection signal includes determining presence of a person'"'"'s heartbeat.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein processing the biometric marker detection signal includes measuring a parameter of a person'"'"'s blood flow.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein processing the biometric marker detection signal includes identifying dynamic changes in image details of the fingerprint over a period of time.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein processing the biometric marker detection signal includes measuring different optical responses at different sensing locations from the contact input.