Fingerprint sensing assemblies and methods of making

• US 8,867,799 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Benkley, Fred G. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Park, Chan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, Mia M
• Application Number:
  US13/455,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20120257032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 382/107, 382/115, 382/124, 382/127, 382/209, 382/312, 340 552- 554, 340 582- 584, 283/68, 348/77, 356/71
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1329 Protecting the fingerprint sensor against damage caused by the finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1359 Extracting features related to ridge properties; Determining the fingerprint type, e.g. whorl or loop
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1376 Matching features related to ridge properties or fingerprint texture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A fingerprint sensing module includes a sensor substrate having a sensing side and a circuit side, an image sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, and a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side of the sensor substrate and electrically connected to the image sensor. The sensor substrate may be a flexible substrate. The module may include a velocity sensor on the sensor substrate or on a separate substrate. The module may further include a rigid substrate, and the sensor substrate may be affixed to the rigid substrate.

Claims

1. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a sensor substrate forming a unified solid structure having a sensor substrate sensing side surface on one side of the substrate structure configured to receive a finger swipe in a finger swipe region of the sensor substrate sensing side and a sensor substrate circuit side surface on the opposite side of the substrate structure from the sensor substrate sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the sensor substrate circuit side surface of the sensor substrate, in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate, wherein the sensor substrate structure intermediate the sensor substrate sensing side surface and the sensor substrate circuit side surface insulates the conductive traces from a finger of a user during the finger swipe in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate; and

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side surface of the sensor substrate, separated from the image sensor conductive traces of the image sensor in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate and electrically connected to the conductive traces of the image sensor in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate circuit side.

2. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 1, further comprising a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the velocity sensor is electrically connected to the sensor circuit.

3. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 2, wherein the sensor substrate comprises a rigid substrate.

4. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate comprises a flexible film.

5. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 4, further comprising a rigid substrate, wherein the circuit side of the sensor substrate is affixed to a first surface of the rigid substrate.

6. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, wherein the circuit side of the sensor substrate is affixed to the first surface of the rigid substrate with an adhesive.

7. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, wherein a first section of the sensor substrate is affixed to the first surface of the rigid substrate with an adhesive and a second section of the sensor substrate is attachable to another device.

8. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, wherein the rigid substrate includes a cutout for receiving the at least one integrated circuit.

9. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, further comprising one or more circuit components mounted on a second surface of the rigid substrate, wherein the one or more circuit components are connected to the sensor circuit.

10. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 9, wherein the one or more circuit components include an electrical connector.

11. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 9, wherein the one or more circuit components are connected to the sensor circuit by vias through the rigid substrate.

12. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, wherein the sensor substrate and the rigid substrate are electrically connected by conductive adhesive between conductive interconnect pads on the respective substrates.

13. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, wherein the sensor substrate has a larger area than the rigid substrate.

14. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, wherein the sensor substrate is affixed to at least two surfaces of the rigid substrate.

15. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 5, further comprising a base for mounting the sensor substrate and the rigid substrate.

16. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 15, wherein the base has a curved surface for mounting of the sensor substrate.

17. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 4, wherein the at least one integrated circuit is affixed to the sensor substrate by a chip-on-film process.

18. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 1, wherein the image sensor comprises a linear array of capacitive sensors for capacitive sensing of ridge peaks and ridge valleys of a fingerprint on a moving finger.

19. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 18, wherein the image sensor comprises an image pickup plate disposed generally orthogonally to a direction of movement of the finger, and a plurality of image drive plates in spaced relation to the image pickup plate to define a plurality of sensor gaps between respective image drive plates and the image pickup plate, wherein the ridge peaks and ridge valleys of the fingerprint passing over the sensor gaps produce a change in capacitance between respective image drive plates and the image pickup plate.

20. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 19, wherein the image pickup plate and the plurality of image drive plates are substantially coplanar.

21. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is configured so that a finger is swiped over the sensing side of the sensor substrate for fingerprint sensing.

22. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a sensor substrate having a sensing side to receive a finger swipe and a circuit side, opposite the sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the sensor substrate isolates the conductive traces from the finger swipe; and

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side of the sensor substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor; and

,

a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the velocity sensor is electrically connected to the sensor circuit;

wherein the velocity sensor comprises two or more finger detectors spaced apart along a direction of movement of the finger, each of the finger detectors including at least one drive plate and at least one pickup plate, wherein an end of the finger passing over each of the finger detectors produces a change in capacitance between respective drive plate and pickup plate.

23. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a sensor substrate having a sensing side to receive a finger swipe and a circuit side, opposite the sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the sensor substrate isolates the conductive traces from the finger swipe; and

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side of the sensor substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor; and

,

a flexible substrate having a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the flexible substrate, wherein the velocity sensor is electrically connected to the sensor circuit, and a base for mounting the sensor substrate and the flexible substrate such that the image sensor and the velocity sensor are substantially coplanar.

24. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a flexible substrate having a sensing side to receive a finger swipe and a circuit side, opposite the sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the circuit side of the flexible substrate, wherein the flexible substrate isolates the conductive traces from the finger swipe;

a velocity sensor including conductive traces formed on the circuit side of the flexible substrate;

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side of the flexible substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor and the velocity sensor; and

a rigid substrate, wherein the circuit side of the flexible substrate is affixed to a surface of the rigid substrate.

25. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a rigid substrate;

an image sensor including at least one conductive transmitter trace and at least one receiver conductive trace formed on the substrate, wherein the image sensor comprises a linear array of passive impedance modification capacitive gap sensors for sensing the variation in the modification of a transmitted drive signal transmitted across the gap from the at least one conductive transmitter trace and received by the at least one receiver trace due to the presence of ridge peaks and ridge valleys of a fingerprint over the gap; and

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor and the velocity sensor, wherein the image sensor, the velocity sensor and the sensor circuit are mounted on a first surface of the rigid substrate.

26. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 25, further comprising a protective coating over the image sensor and the velocity sensor.

27. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 26, wherein the image sensor comprises an image pickup plate disposed generally orthogonally to a direction of movement of the finger, and a plurality of image drive plates in spaced relation to the image pickup plate to define a plurality of sensor gaps between respective image drive plates and the image pickup plate, wherein the ridge peaks and ridge valleys of the fingerprint passing over the sensor gaps produce a change in capacitance between respective image drive plates and the image pickup plate.

28. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 27, wherein the velocity sensor comprises two or more finger detectors spaced apart along a direction of movement of the finger, each of said finger detectors including at least one drive plate and at least one pickup plate, wherein an end of the finger passing over each of the finger detectors produces a change in capacitance between respective drive plates and pickup plates.

29. A method for making a fingerprint sensing module, comprising:

providing a flexible substrate having a sensing side to receive a finger swipe and a circuit side, opposite the sensing side;

forming an image sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the flexible substrate, wherein the flexible substrate isolates the conductive traces from the finger swipe;

forming a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the flexible substrate;

mounting a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit on the circuit side of the flexible substrate separated from the conductive traces; and

affixing the circuit side of the flexible substrate to a surface of a rigid substrate.

30. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a sensor substrate, formed of a flexible film, forming a unified solid structure having a sensor substrate sensing side surface on one side of the substrate structure configured to receive a finger swipe in a finger swipe region of the sensor substrate sensing side, on or in the vicinity of the sensor substrate and a sensor substrate circuit side surface on the opposite side of the substrate structure from the sensor substrate sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the sensor substrate circuit side surface of the sensor substrate, in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate, wherein the sensor substrate structure intermediate the sensor substrate sensing side surface and the sensor substrate circuit side surface insulates the conductive traces from a finger of the user during the finger swipe in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate; and

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side surface of the sensor substrate, separated from the image sensor conductive traces of the image sensor in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate and electrically connected to the conductive traces of the image sensor in the finger swipe region of the sensor substrate circuit side.

31. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 30, further comprising a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the velocity sensor is electrically connected to the sensor circuit.

32. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 30, wherein the sensor substrate comprises a flexible film.

33. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a sensor substrate having a sensing side to receive a finger swipe and a circuit side, opposite the sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the sensor substrate isolates the conductive traces from the finger swipe;

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side of the sensor substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor;

a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the velocity sensor is electrically connected to the sensor circuit; and

wherein the velocity sensor comprises two or more finger detectors spaced apart along a direction of movement of the finger, each of the finger detectors including at least one drive plate and at least one pickup plate, wherein an end of the finger passing over each of the finger detectors produces a change in capacitance between respective drive plates and pickup plates.

34. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a sensor substrate having a sensing side to receive a finger swipe and a circuit side, opposite the sensing side;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the sensor substrate isolates the conductive traces from the finger swipe;

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the circuit side of the sensor substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor;

a velocity sensor including conductive traces on the circuit side of the sensor substrate, wherein the velocity sensor is electrically connected to the sensor circuit; and

wherein the sensor substrate comprises a rigid substrate.

35. A fingerprint sensing module comprising:

a rigid substrate;

an image sensor including conductive traces formed on the substrate, wherein the image sensor comprises a linear array of capacitive sensors for capacitive sensing of ridge peaks and ridge valleys of a fingerprint on a moving finger;

a velocity sensor including conductive traces formed on the substrate;

a sensor circuit including at least one integrated circuit mounted on the substrate separated from the conductive traces and electrically connected to the image sensor and the velocity sensor, wherein the image sensor, the velocity sensor and the sensor circuit are mounted on a first surface of the rigid substrate;

a protective coating over the image sensor and the velocity sensor; and

wherein the image sensor comprises an image pickup plate disposed generally orthogonally to a direction of movement of the finger, and a plurality of image drive plates in spaced relation to the image pickup plate to define a plurality of sensor gaps between respective image drive plates and the image pickup plate, wherein the ridge peaks and ridge valleys of the fingerprint passing over the sensor gaps produce a change in capacitance between respective image drive plates and the image pickup plate.

36. A fingerprint sensing module as defined in claim 35, wherein the velocity sensor comprises two or more finger detectors spaced apart along a direction of movement of the finger, each of said finger detectors including at least one drive plate and at least one pickup plate, wherein an end of the finger passing over each of the finger detectors produces a change in capacitance between respective drive plates and pickup plates.