CAPACITIVE FINGERPRINT SENSING DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING A FINGERPRINT USING THE SENSING DEVICE
First Claim
1. A capacitive fingerprint sensing device for sensing a fingerprint pattern of a finger, said capacitive fingerprint sensing device comprising:
- a protective dielectric top layer having an outer surface forming a sensing surface to be touched by said finger;
at least one electrically conductive sensing structure arranged underneath said top layer;
readout circuitry coupled to the at least one electrically conductive sensing structure to receive a sensing signal indicative of a distance between said finger and said sensing structure; and
a plurality of individually controllable electroacoustic transducers arranged underneath said top layer and configured to generate a focused ultrasonic beam, and to transmit the ultrasonic beam through the protective dielectric top layer towards the sensing surface to induce an ultrasonic vibration potential in a ridge of finger placed in contact with the sensing surface at the location of the focused ultrasonic beam.
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Accused Products
Abstract
There is provided a capacitive fingerprint sensing device for sensing a fingerprint pattern of a finger, the capacitive fingerprint sensing device comprising: a protective dielectric top layer having an outer surface forming a sensing surface to be touched by the finger; at least one electrically conductive sensing structure arranged underneath the top layer; readout circuitry coupled to the at least one electrically conductive sensing structure to receive a sensing signal indicative of a distance between the finger and the sensing structure; and a plurality of individually controllable electroacoustic transducers arranged underneath the top layer and configured to generate a focused ultrasonic beam, and to transmit the ultrasonic beam through the protective dielectric top layer towards the sensing surface to induce an ultrasonic vibration potential in a ridge of finger placed in contact with the sensing surface at the location of the ultrasonic beam.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A capacitive fingerprint sensing device for sensing a fingerprint pattern of a finger, said capacitive fingerprint sensing device comprising:
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a protective dielectric top layer having an outer surface forming a sensing surface to be touched by said finger; at least one electrically conductive sensing structure arranged underneath said top layer; readout circuitry coupled to the at least one electrically conductive sensing structure to receive a sensing signal indicative of a distance between said finger and said sensing structure; and a plurality of individually controllable electroacoustic transducers arranged underneath said top layer and configured to generate a focused ultrasonic beam, and to transmit the ultrasonic beam through the protective dielectric top layer towards the sensing surface to induce an ultrasonic vibration potential in a ridge of finger placed in contact with the sensing surface at the location of the focused ultrasonic beam. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for controlling a capacitive fingerprint sensing device comprising:
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a protective dielectric top layer having an outer surface forming a sensing surface to be touched by said finger; at least one electrically conductive sensing structure arranged underneath said top layer; readout circuitry coupled to the at least one electrically conductive sensing structure to receive a sensing signal indicative of a distance between said finger and said sensing structure; and a two-dimensional phased array of individually controllable electroacoustic transducers arranged underneath said top layer and configured to generate a focused ultrasonic beam, and to transmit the ultrasonic beam through the protective dielectric top layer towards the sensing surface to induce an ultrasonic vibration potential in a ridge of finger placed in contact with the sensing surface at the location of the ultrasonic beam, the method comprising; controlling the phased array to transmit a focused ultrasonic beam to a selected location of the sensing surface; and reading out a signal indicative of a distance between the finger and a sensing structure located below the location of the ultrasonic beam at the sensing surface by means of the readout circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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21. A method for controlling a capacitive fingerprint sensing device comprising:
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a protective dielectric top layer having an outer surface forming a sensing surface to be touched by said finger; at least one electrically conductive sensing structure arranged underneath said top layer; readout circuitry coupled to the at least one electrically conductive sensing structure to receive a sensing signal indicative of a distance between said finger and said sensing structure; a two-dimensional array of individually controllable electroacoustic transducers arranged underneath said top layer and configured to generate a focused ultrasonic beam, and to transmit the ultrasonic beam through the protective dielectric top layer towards the sensing surface to induce an ultrasonic vibration potential in a ridge of finger placed in contact with the sensing surface at the location of the ultrasonic beam; and an acoustic waveguide layer arranged between the plurality of individually controllable electroacoustic transducers and the sensing surface of the sensing device, the waveguide layer comprising a plurality of waveguides, each waveguide being configured to guide an ultrasonic beam from a corresponding electroacoustic transducer towards the sensing surface, the method comprising; controlling an electroacoustic transducer to transmit a focused ultrasonic beam to a corresponding acoustic waveguide; and reading out a signal indicative of a distance between the finger and a sensing structure located below the location of the ultrasonic beam at the sensing surface by means of the readout circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23)
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Specification