Piezoelectric identification device and applications thereof
First Claim
1. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
- a sensor having at least one hundred thousand approximately rectangular piezoelectric ceramic elements, each piezoelectric ceramic element having a size equal to or less than approximately forty microns by forty microns by one hundred microns, said sensor being responsive to features of a finger proximate to said sensor; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in a Doppler-shift mode to produce Doppler-shift data, and said processor includes a Doppler-shift detector that processes Doppler-shift data received from said sensor to produce a second output.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An identification device having a piezoelectric sensor array is used to obtain biometric data. Multiplexers are switched to control the sensor. The device has several operating modes for obtaining a variety of biometric data, including an impedance detection mode, a voltage detection mode, an imaging mode, and a Doppler-shift detection mode. The presence of a fingerprint on the sensor can be used to turn-on the device. The device is capable of capturing a fingerprint, forming a three-dimensional map of a finger bone, and/or determining the direction and speed of arteriole and/or capillary blood flow in a finger. A single pixel or a group of pixels can be detected and readout to a memory. The device can be used as an electronic signature device. The device can operate as part of a personal area network, using a public service layer according to the invention.
171 Citations
52 Claims
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1. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a sensor having at least one hundred thousand approximately rectangular piezoelectric ceramic elements, each piezoelectric ceramic element having a size equal to or less than approximately forty microns by forty microns by one hundred microns, said sensor being responsive to features of a finger proximate to said sensor; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in a Doppler-shift mode to produce Doppler-shift data, and said processor includes a Doppler-shift detector that processes Doppler-shift data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a sensor having at least one hundred thousand approximately rectangular piezoelectric ceramic elements, each piezoelectric ceramic element having a size equal to or less than approximately forty microns by forty microns by one hundred microns, said sensor being responsive to features of a finger proximate to said sensor; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in an echo mode to produce echo data, and said processor includes a signal-time-of-travel detector that processes echo data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7)
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8. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a sensor having at least one hundred thousand approximately rectangular piezoelectric ceramic elements, each piezoelectric ceramic element having a size equal to or less than approximately forty microns by forty microns by one hundred microns, said sensor being responsive to features of a finger proximate to said sensor; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in a voltage mode to produce voltage data, and said processor includes a voltage detector that processes voltage data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array, said piezoelectric ceramic elements of said array being spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately 50 microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output, wherein said sensor operates in a Doppler-shift mode to produce Doppler-shift data, and said processor includes a Doppler-shift detector that processes Doppler-shift data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array, said piezoelectric ceramic elements of said array being spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately 50 microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output, wherein said sensor operates in an echo mode to produce echo data, and said processor includes a signal-time-of-travel detector that processes echo data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
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17. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array, said piezoelectric ceramic elements of said array being spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately 50 microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output, wherein said sensor operates in a voltage mode to produce voltage data, and said processor includes a voltage detector that processes voltage data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (18)
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19. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array, said piezoelectric ceramic elements of said array being spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately 50 microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array;
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output; and
an input signal generator that applies an AC voltage signal across said plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements.
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20. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a sensor having at least one hundred thousand approximately rectangular piezoelectric ceramic elements, each piezoelectric ceramic element having a size equal to or less than approximately forty microns by forty microns by one hundred microns, said sensor being responsive to features of a finger proximate to said sensor; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger; and
an input signal generator that applies an AC voltage signal across said at least one hundred thousand approximately rectangular piezoelectric ceramic elements.
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21. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array and spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately two hundred microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in a Doppler-shift mode to produce Doppler-shift data, and said processor includes a Doppler-shift detector that processes Doppler-shift data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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25. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array and spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately two hundred microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in an echo mode to produce echo data, and said processor includes a signal-time-of-travel detector that processes echo data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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28. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array and spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately two hundred microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger, wherein said sensor operates in a voltage mode to produce voltage data, and said processor includes a voltage detector that processes voltage data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (29)
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30. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having at least fifty thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output, wherein said sensor operates in a Doppler-shift mode to produce Doppler-shift data, and said processor includes a Doppler-shift detector that processes Doppler-shift data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33)
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34. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having at least fifty thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output, wherein said sensor operates in an echo mode to produce echo data, and said processor includes a signal-time-of-travel detector that processes echo data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36)
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37. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having at least fifty thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output, wherein said sensor operates in a voltage mode to produce voltage data, and said processor includes a voltage detector that processes voltage data received from said sensor to produce a second output. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having a plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array and spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately two hundred microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array;
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives an input from said sensor representative of features of the finger and produces an output; and
an input signal generator that applies an AC voltage signal across said plurality of piezoelectric ceramic elements. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A biometric sensing apparatus, comprising:
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a piezoelectric ceramic sensor having at least fifty thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements arranged in an array and spaced on a pitch equal to or less than approximately two hundred microns to detect features of a finger proximate to said array; and
a processor, coupled to said sensor, that receives data from said sensor and produces an output representative of features of the finger; and
an input signal generator that applies an AC voltage signal across said at least fifty thousand piezoelectric ceramic elements. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52)
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Specification