Integrated fingerprint sensor and display

• US 9,336,428 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2010
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Erhart, Richard Alex
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): WALKER, JARED T
• Application Number:
  US12/914,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,021 Days
• Field of Search: 348/77, 348/161
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13312 Circuits comprising photodetectors for purposes other than feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1329 Protecting the fingerprint sensor against damage caused by the finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1335 Combining adjacent partial images (e.g. slices) to create a composite input or reference pattern; Tracking a sweeping finger movement

Abstract

A fingerprint swipe sensor includes fingerprint sensor lines disposed on a surface of an LCD protective glass covered on an opposite surface with motion sensing lines. The fingerprint swipe sensor also includes a controller coupled to the fingerprint sensor lines to capture a fingerprint image when a user'"'"'s finger is swiped about the fingerprint sensor lines.

Claims

1. A touch screen display device having integrated touch sensing and biometric image capture capabilities, comprising:

a top layer, comprising a display protective glass layer;

a lower layer;

touch sensitive circuitry disposed intermediate the top layer and the lower layer, the touch sensitive circuitry being configured to detect touch input; and

a biometric object image sensor disposed intermediate the top layer and the lower layer, the biometric object image sensor comprising electrode traces forming an array of capacitive gap sensing elements, wherein the array includes at least one image pixel location defined by a capacitive coupling gap between a respective signal drive trace and a respective signal pickup trace to capture a biometric object image when a biometric object of a user is above the biometric object image sensor and the display protective glass layer.

2. The touch screen display device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive gap sensing elements are made of a substantially transparent conductive material.

3. The touch screen display device according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive gap sensing elements are made of indium tin oxide.

22. The touch screen display device of claim 1, wherein the biometric object image sensor comprises a fingerprint image sensor.

4. A Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screen having integrated touch sensing and biometric object image capture capabilities, the LCD screen comprising:

an LCD module configured to produce a visible display;

a protective layer located above the LCD module;

touch sensitive circuitry located intermediate the LCD module and the protective layer, the touch sensitive circuitry being configured to detect touch input; and

a biometric object image sensor disposed intermediate the LCD module and the protective layer, the biometric object image sensor comprising electrode traces forming an array of capacitive gap sensing elements, wherein the array includes at least one image pixel location defined by a capacitive coupling gap between a respective signal drive trace and a respective signal pickup trace to capture a biometric object image when a biometric object of a user is above the biometric object image sensor.

5. The LCD screen according to claim 4, further comprising an LCD controller coupled to the LCD module and configured to control the visible display of the LCD module.

6. The LCD screen according to claim 5, wherein the LCD controller is further coupled to the biometric object image sensor and further configured to control the biometric object image sensor.

7. The LCD screen according to claim 4, wherein the touch sensitive circuitry is integrated with the biometric object image sensor.

8. The LCD screen according to claim 4, wherein the capacitive gap sensing elements are made of a substantially transparent conductive material.

9. The LCD screen according to claim 4, wherein the capacitive gap sensing elements are made of indium tin oxide.

23. The LCD screen of claim 4, wherein the biometric object image sensor comprises a fingerprint image sensor.

10. A method of assembling a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display device having touch sensitive circuitry and a biometric object image sensor, the method comprising:

providing a printed circuit board;

mounting an LCD module above the printed circuit board;

mounting an LCD controller on one of the LCD module and the printed circuit board;

covering the LCD module with a protective layer;

placing the touch sensitive circuitry intermediate the protective layer and the LCD module; and

placing the biometric object image sensor intermediate the protective layer and the LCD module, the biometric object image sensor comprising electrode traces forming an array of capacitive gap sensing elements, wherein the array includes at least one image pixel location defined by a capacitive coupling gap between a respective signal drive trace and a respective signal pickup trace.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising coating the protective layer with a user protective coating.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the LCD controller is configured to control the touch sensitive circuitry and the biometric object image sensor.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising connecting the LCD controller to the touch sensitive circuitry and the biometric object image sensor.

14. The method according to claim 10, further comprising mounting a biometric object image sensor controller on the printed circuit board.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising connecting the LCD controller to the touch sensitive circuitry and connecting the biometric object image sensor controller to the biometric object image sensor.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the capacitive gap sensing elements are made of a substantially transparent conductive material.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the biometric object image sensor comprises a fingerprint image sensor.

17. A method of assembling a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display device having touch sensitive circuitry and a biometric object image sensor, the method comprising:

providing a printed circuit board;

mounting an LCD module above the printed circuit board;

mounting an LCD controller on one of the LCD module and the printed circuit board;

placing the touch sensitive circuitry intermediate the printed circuit board and the LCD module;

mounting a protective layer to the LCD module; and

placing the biometric object image sensor on an outer surface of the protective layer such that the protective layer is located between the touch sensitive circuitry and the biometric object image sensor, the biometric object image sensor comprising electrode traces forming an array of capacitive gap sensing elements, wherein the array includes at least one image pixel location defined by a capacitive coupling gap between a respective signal drive trace and a respective signal pickup trace.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the LCD controller is configured to control the touch sensitive circuitry and the biometric object image sensor.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising mounting a biometric object image sensor controller on the printed circuit board.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising connecting the LCD controller to the touch sensitive circuitry and connecting the biometric object image sensor controller to the biometric object image sensor.

21. The method according to claim 17, wherein the capacitive gap sensing elements are made of a substantially transparent conductive material.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the biometric object image sensor comprises a fingerprint image sensor.