Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in display bezel

• US 9,984,271 B1
• Filed: 10/14/2014
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: King, Brian Michael, Gozzini, Giovanni, Yang, Henry H., Yousefpor, Marduke, Last, Matthew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Priyank
• Application Number:
  US14/514,308
• Time in Patent Office: 1,323 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 10/17 using hand-held instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

An electronic device that includes an enclosure having an external surface and a first array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a first direction and a second array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a second direction. The first array of ultrasonic transducers may be configured to produce a surface wave along the external surface. A set of scattered waves may be created by the touch on the external surface. The second array of ultrasonic transducers may be configured to receive a portion of the set of scattered waves and produce an output. The device may also include a processing unit that is configured to identify the touch using the output. The processing unit may be further configured to create a reconstruction of at least a portion of a fingerprint associated with the touch on the cover, and to identify the fingerprint using the reconstruction.

Claims

1. An electronic device configured to identify a user, the electronic device comprising:

a display;

a cover above the display;

a first array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a first side of the display, the first array of ultrasonic transducers configured to produce a first bulk wave transverse to a plane of the cover;

a first mode converter formed as a convex contoured region that connects an outer surface of the cover and an adjacent side surface of the electronic device, the first mode converter configured to convert the first bulk wave into a surface wave in the cover, wherein a set of scattered waves comprising a scattered wave pattern are created by a user touch on the cover;

a second mode converter arranged along a second side of the display, the second mode converter configured to convert at least a portion of the set of scattered waves into a second bulk wave transverse to the plane of the cover;

a second array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along the second side of the display, the second array of ultrasonic transducers configured to receive the second bulk wave and produce an output associated with the scattered wave pattern that corresponds to fingerprint characteristics of the user; and

a processing unit configured to distinguish the user from other users based on the output.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to create a reconstruction of at least a portion of a fingerprint associated with the user.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further configured to identify the user fingerprint using the reconstruction of at least a portion of the fingerprint.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a transducer of the first array of ultrasonic transducers comprises:

an acoustic impedance-matching element disposed below a lower surface of the cover;

a first electrode disposed below the acoustic impedance-matching element;

a piezoelectric element disposed below the first electrode; and

a second electrode disposed below the piezoelectric element.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a third array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a third side of the display, the third array of ultrasonic transducers configured to produce a fourth bulk wave transverse to the plane of the cover; and

a fourth array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a fourth side of the display, the fourth array of ultrasonic transducers configured to produce a fourth bulk wave transverse to the plane of the cover.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

the second array of ultrasonic transducers is further configured to produce a subsequent second bulk wave transverse to a plane of the cover;

and

the first array of ultrasonic transducers are further configured to receive a subsequent first bulk wave and produce a subsequent output.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein

the subsequent second bulk wave is converted into a subsequent surface wave in the cover, wherein one or more scattered waves are created by the touch on the cover, and

the processing unit is further configured to identify a location of the touch on the cover using the output and the subsequent output.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein

the subsequent second bulk wave is converted into a subsequent surface wave in the cover, wherein one or more scattered waves are created by the touch on the cover, and

the processing unit is further configured to reconstruct a portion of a fingerprint associated with the user using the output and the subsequent output.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the portion of the fingerprint is reconstructed based on one or more of:

time delay, angle of arrival, and frequency content.

10. An electronic device configured to identify a particular user, the electronic device comprising:

an enclosure having an external surface;

a first array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a first direction, the first array of ultrasonic transducers configured to produce a surface wave along the external surface, the surface wave initiated upon reflection from a converter positioned on an edge of the external surface, wherein a set of scattered waves forming a wave pattern are created by a touch on the external surface;

a second array of ultrasonic transducers arranged along a second direction, the second array of ultrasonic transducers configured to receive a portion of the set of scattered waves and produce an output derived from the wave pattern which corresponds to fingerprint characteristics of the particular user; and

a processing unit configured to identify the particular user based on the output;

wherein;

the converter is formed as a convex contoured region that connects the external surface of the cover and an adjacent side surface of the electronic device.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the fingerprint characteristics comprise an epidural ridge characteristic of the fingerprint of the particular user.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein a transducer of the first array of ultrasonic transducers comprises:

an acoustic impedance-matching element disposed below a lower surface of the cover;

a first electrode disposed below the acoustic impedance-matching element;

a piezoelectric element disposed below the first electrode; and

a second electrode disposed below the piezoelectric element.

13. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein:

the second array of ultrasonic transducers is further configured to produce a subsequent second bulk wave transverse to a plane of the cover; and

the first array of ultrasonic transducers are further configured to receive a subsequent first bulk wave and produce a subsequent output.

14. A method for identifying a user based on a touch on a surface of a device, the method comprising:

generating a surface wave from a converter formed as a convex contoured region connecting the surface of the device to an adjacent side surface of the device, the surface wave propagating across the surface along a first direction,

receiving a reflected wave generated by the touch on the surface, the reflected wave propagating across the surface along a second direction and comprising a touch pattern;

sensing the reflected wave and producing a characteristic output associated with a fingerprint of the user based on the touch pattern; and

identifying the user based on at least the characteristic output.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

generating the surface wave further comprises;

producing a first bulk wave that is transverse to the surface using a first ultrasonic transducer, and

converting the first bulk wave into the surface wave upon reflection from the converter; and

sensing the reflected wave further comprises;

converting the reflected wave into a second bulk wave that is transverse to the surface, and

sensing the second bulk wave using a second ultrasonic transducer.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the characteristic output is based on one or more of:

a time of arrival of the reflected wave, an angle of arrival of the reflected wave, and a frequency content of the reflected wave.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating a subsequent surface wave propagating across the surface along a third direction;

creating a subsequent reflected wave using the touch on the surface, the subsequent reflected wave propagating across the surface along a fourth direction;

sensing the subsequent reflected wave and producing a subsequent output; and

identifying the user based on at least the subsequent output in addition to at least the characteristic output.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising

generating a subsequent surface wave propagating across the surface along a third direction,

creating a subsequent reflected wave using the touch on the surface, the subsequent reflected wave propagating across the surface along a fourth direction;

sensing the subsequent reflected wave and producing a subsequent output; and

identifying a location of the touch using at least the subsequent output in addition to the characteristic output.