Biometric sensor with delay layer

• US 8,201,739 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2011
• Issued: 06/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ultra-Scan Corporation (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schneider, John K., Kitchens, Jack C.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, SEUNG H
• Application Number:
  US13/043,388
• Publication Number:
  US 20110215150A1
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 235/435, 235/439, 235/492, 382/115, 382/124
• US Class Current: 235/439
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

A biometric scanner is described and claimed. The scanner has a platen, an ultrasonic plane wave generator, an ultrasonic detector, and a delay layer residing between the generator and the detector.

Claims

1. A biometric scanner, comprising:

a platen;

an ultrasonic plane wave generator;

an ultrasonic detector; and

a low-attenuation-plastic delay layer residing between the generator and the detector.

2. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic detector includes an array of individually addressable elements.

3. The scanner of claim 2, wherein the array of individually addressable elements is a semiconductor array.

4. The scanner of claim 2, wherein the array of individually addressable elements is a TFT array.

5. The scanner of claim 2, wherein the array of individually addressable elements is fixed to an insulating substrate.

6. The scanner of claim 2, wherein the ultrasonic detector includes an insulating substrate.

7. The scanner of claim 6, wherein the insulating substrate is plastic.

8. The scanner of claim 6, wherein the insulating substrate is a ceramic.

9. The scanner of claim 8, wherein the ceramic is glass.

10. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the detector includes a hydrophone array.

11. The scanner of claim 10, wherein the hydrophone array has a first electrode and a plurality of second electrodes, wherein the second electrodes are positioned between the first electrode and the array of individually addressable elements.

12. The scanner of claim 11, wherein the hydrophone array includes a piezoelectric film residing between the first electrode and the plurality of second electrodes.

13. The scanner of claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric film is PVDF.

14. The scanner of claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric film is PVDF-TrFE copolymer.

15. The scanner of claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric film is PVDF-TFE copolymer.

16. The scanner of claim 12, wherein the piezoelectric film is a polymeric or ceramic film exhibiting ferroelectric or piezoelectric properties.

17. The scanner of claim 1, further comprising control electronics connected to the generator and to the detector, the control electronics being able to manage timing of a generated energy pulse, and sensing of reflected energy resulting from the generated pulse, the reflected energy being reflected by an object residing on the platen.

18. The scanner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the platen and the delay layer is a polystyrene resin.

19. The scanner of claim 18, wherein the polystyrene resin is Cross Linked Polystyrene (“

XLPS”

).

20. The scanner of claim 18, wherein the polystyrene resin is General Purpose Polystyrene (“

GPPS”

).

21. The scanner of claim 1, wherein at least one of the platen and delay layer is a PMMA resin.

22. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the delay layer is a plastic material.

23. The scanner of claim 1, wherein the detector is an array of semiconductors.

24. The scanner of claim 23, wherein the semiconductors are CMOS transistors.

25. The scanner of claim 23, wherein the semiconductors are charge coupled devices.