TIERED WAKEUP STRATEGY

• US 20140198960A1
• Filed: 02/13/2013
• Published: 07/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: THOMPSON, Erik Jonathon, Russo, Anthony P., CHAN, Philip Yiu Kwong, DEAN, Gregory Lewis, ERHART, Richard Alexander, JANDU, Jaswinder, LIEN, Ty Bao, SCHWAB, Frank, BELLMAN, Charles Walter, DAVIS, Bjoren Kurt
• Granted Patent: US 9,665,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 382/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/81 by operating on the power supply, e.g. enabling or disabling power-on, sleep or resume operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/13 Sensors therefor

Abstract

A biometric authentication apparatus and method is disclosed which may comprise a biometric authentication unit which may comprise: a biometric object sensor comprising sensor elements and a sensor computing device; a wake-on-event logic controller maintaining the sensor computing device in one of a powered-off or powered down mode, and including a bulk biometric object detector configured to detect a biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements and to power-on or power-up the sensor computing device responsive to the detection of the biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements; the sensor computing device configured to analyze one or more lines of biometric object image comprising a partial biometric object image and determine if the partial biometric image belongs to a biometric object desired to be imaged to obtain a complete biometric object image, and to provide a power-on or power-up signal to a host electronic device computing device when the partial biometric image is determined to belong to a biometric object desired to be imaged.

Claims

1. A biometric authentication unit comprising:

a biometric object sensor comprising sensor elements and a sensor computing device;

a wake-on-event logic controller maintaining the sensor computing device in one of a powered-off or powered down mode, and including a bulk biometric object detector configured to detect a biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements and to power-on or power-up the sensor computing device responsive to the detection of the biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements;

the sensor computing device configured to analyze one or more items of biometric bona fides data and determine if the biometric bona fides data belongs to a biometric object desired to be imaged to obtain a biometric object image for use in authenticating a user providing the biometric object image, and to provide a power-on or power-up signal to a host electronic device computing device when the biometric bona fides data indicates the biometric object is a biometric object desired to be imaged.

2. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 further comprising:

the biometric object comprising a finger and the complete biometric object image comprising a fingerprint.

3. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 further comprising:

the host electronic device comprising a housing; and

the sensor computing device and the host electronic device computing device being housed within the housing.

4. The biometric authentication unit of claim 3 further comprising:

the sensor elements being exposed to the biometric object through the housing.

5. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 further comprising:

the sensor computing device and the host electronic device computing device sharing a memory.

6. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1, wherein the sensor computing device and the host electronic device computing device sharing in the analysis of the biometric bona fides data to determine if the biometric bona fides data belongs to a biometric object desired to be imaged, and the host electronic device computing device is powered on at least to the extent of being configured to share in the analysis of the biometric bona fides data.

7. The biometric authentication unit of claim 5 wherein the memory is at least in part contained in or is a peripheral to the host electronic device computing device and the host electronic device is powered on at least to the extent of being configured to share the memory with the sensor computing device while the sensor computing device is analyzing the biometric bona fides data to determine if the biometric bona fides data belongs to a biometric object desired to be imaged.

8. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 further comprising:

the biometric object sensor elements forming a linear one dimensional capacitive gap sensor array.

9. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 further comprising:

the biometric sensor array elements forming a two dimensional placement capacitive sensor array.

10. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 further comprising:

the biometric sensor array elements forming a two dimensional swiped capacitive sensor array.

11. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 wherein the biometric authentication unit is incorporated into a user authentication apparatus providing user authentication for controlling access to one of the host electronic device or an electronically provided service provided over the host electronic device.

12. The biometric authentication unit of claim 11 wherein the host electronic device comprises at least one of a portable phone and a computing device.

13. The biometric authentication unit of claim 11 wherein the electronically provided service comprises at least one of providing access to a web site or to an email account.

14. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 wherein the biometric authentication unit is incorporated into a user authentication apparatus providing user authentication for controlling an online transaction.

15. The biometric authentication unit of claim 14 wherein the user authentication is in replacement of at least one of a user password or personal identification number.

16. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 wherein the biometric authentication unit is incorporated into an apparatus providing user authentication for controlling access to a physical location.

17. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 wherein the biometric authentication unit is incorporated into an apparatus providing user authentication demonstrating the user was present at a certain place at a certain time.

18. The biometric authentication unit of claim 1 wherein the biometric authentication unit is incorporated into an apparatus providing finger mapping of a user finger to authentication of the user to the host electronic device and the performance of at least one other task specific to the particular finger by the host electronic device.

19. A biometric authentication method comprising:

providing a biometric object sensor comprising sensor elements and a sensor computing device;

utilizing a wake-on-event logic controller maintaining the sensor computing device in one of a powered-off or powered down mode, and including a bulk biometric object detector configured to detect a biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements and to power-on or power-up the sensor computing device responsive to the detection of the biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements;

analyzing with the sensor computing device one or more items of biometric bona fides data and determine if the biometric bona fides data belongs to a biometric object desired to be imaged to obtain a biometric object image for use in authenticating a user providing the biometric object image; and

providing a power-on or power-up signal to a host electronic device computing device when the biometric bona fides data indicates the biometric object is a biometric object desired to be imaged.

20. A machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one computing device, cause the at least one computing device to perform a biometric authentication method on a biometric object sensor comprising sensor elements and a sensor computing device comprising:

providing a biometric object sensor comprising sensor elements and a sensor computing device;

controlling a wake-on-event logic controller maintaining the sensor computing device in one of a powered-off or powered down mode, and including a bulk biometric object detector configured to detect a biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements and to power-on or power-up the sensor computing device responsive to the detection of the biometric object on or in the vicinity of the sensor elements;

analyzing with the sensor computing device one or more items of biometric bona fides data and determine if the biometric bona fides data belongs to a biometric object desired to be imaged to obtain a biometric object image for use in authenticating a user providing the biometric object image; and

providing a power-on or power-up signal to a host electronic device computing device when the biometric bona fides data indicates the biometric object is a biometric object desired to be imaged.