Electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function, driving circuit, and method for driving electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function

• US 9,697,345 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FocalTech Electronics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: FocalTech Systems Co.,Ltd
• Inventors: Mo, Lianghua, Liu, Zhi, Liu, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilliard, Delomia L
• Application Number:
  US14/586,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20150324625A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function, a driving circuit, and a method for driving the electronic apparatus are provided. The electronic apparatus includes: a first fingerprint sensor adapted to perform fingerprint sensing; a second fingerprint sensor adapted to perform fingerprint sensing; and a driving circuit. The driving circuit provides a first fingerprint detection signal to the first fingerprint sensor for performing fingerprint detection, and determines whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a first function, based on fingerprint detection information from the first fingerprint sensor; and provides a second fingerprint detection signal to the second fingerprint sensor for performing fingerprint detection, and determines whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a second function, based on fingerprint detection information from the second fingerprint sensor. With above technical solution, security for usage of the electronic apparatus is improved.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function, comprising:

a first fingerprint sensor configured to perform a fingerprint detection;

a second fingerprint sensor configured to perform a fingerprint detection; and

a driving circuit configured to provide a first fingerprint detection signal to the first fingerprint sensor for performing a fingerprint detection, and determine whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a first function, based on fingerprint detection information from the first fingerprint sensor; and

the driving circuit further configured to provide a second fingerprint detection signal to the second fingerprint sensor for performing a fingerprint detection, and determine whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a second function, based on fingerprint detection information from the second fingerprint sensor,

wherein the electronic apparatus comprises a display device, the display device comprises a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel comprises a first display electrode, a second display electrode and a display medium therebetween, wherein the display apparatus provides voltages to the first display electrodes and the second display electrodes to control the display media to display an image, the plurality of display pixels form a display region, and at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor is disposed in the display region.

2. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein the first function is different from the second function.

3. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein

the first function comprises a turning-on and a screen-unlocking of the electronic apparatus, and

the second function comprises an execution of a predetermined target application.

4. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein the first fingerprint sensor is identical with or different from the second fingerprint sensor.

5. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein if at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor is a self-capacitive fingerprint sensor, the self-capacitive fingerprint sensor comprises a plurality of fingerprint sensing electrodes, and the driving circuit senses a fingerprint by detecting self-capacitances of the plurality of fingerprint sensing electrodes.

6. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein the first display electrodes of a part of the plurality of display pixels are further used as the first fingerprint sensor or/and the second fingerprint sensor disposed in the display region.

7. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 6, wherein the display device is an in-plane switching liquid crystal display device or a fringe field switching liquid crystal display device, the first display electrodes are pixel electrodes, and the second display electrodes are common electrodes.

8. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 6, wherein the display device further comprises a border region, the first fingerprint sensor is disposed in the border region, and the second fingerprint sensor is disposed in the display region.

9. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 8, wherein the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor are disposed on the same side of the electronic apparatus.

10. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 9, further comprising:

a control button disposed in the border region, wherein the first fingerprint sensor is disposed under the control button.

11. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 3, wherein the driving circuit comprises a first triggering circuit configured to receive a triggering signal for turning-on and a triggering signal for screen-unlocking, and the driving circuit provides the first fingerprint detection signal to the first fingerprint sensor if the first triggering circuit receives the triggering signal for turning-on or the triggering signal for screen-unlocking.

12. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 3, wherein the driving circuit comprises a second triggering circuit configured to receive a triggering signal for the predetermined target application, and the driving circuit provides the second fingerprint detection signal to the second fingerprint sensor if the second triggering circuit receives the triggering signal for the predetermined target application.

13. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor comprises a plurality of fingerprint detection elements each occupying a separate region of the electronic apparatus;

the driving circuit simultaneously provides a corresponding fingerprint detection signal to the plurality of fingerprint detection elements, to control the plurality of fingerprint detection elements to perform fingerprint detections simultaneously, or the driving circuit sequentially provides fingerprint detection signals to the plurality of fingerprint detection elements at a predetermined interval, to control the fingerprint detection elements to perform fingerprint detections respectively; and

the driving circuit compares fingerprint detection information from the plurality of fingerprint detection elements with preset fingerprint password information, and determines whether a corresponding function is to be performed, based on a comparison.

14. The electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function according to claim 1, wherein the driving circuit provides a fingerprint detection signal to at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor, compares obtained fingerprint detection information with preset fingerprint information, and determines whether a corresponding function is to be performed, based on a comparison;

or

the driving circuit provides fingerprint detection signals to at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor at a predetermined interval to obtain a plurality of pieces of fingerprint detection information, compares the successively obtained fingerprint detection information with preset fingerprint password information, and determines whether a corresponding function is to be performed, based on a comparison.

15. A driving circuit applied in an electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function, wherein the electronic apparatus comprises a first fingerprint sensor configured to perform a fingerprint detection and a second fingerprint sensor configured to perform a fingerprint detection, and wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises a display device, the display device comprises a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel comprises a first display electrode, a second display electrode and a display medium therebetween, the display apparatus provides voltages to the first display electrodes and the second display electrodes to control the display media to display an image, the plurality of display pixels form a display region, and at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor is disposed in the display region;

and

the driving circuit comprises;

a first fingerprint detection circuit configured to provide a first fingerprint detection signal to the first fingerprint sensor, wherein the first fingerprint sensor performs a fingerprint detection based on the first fingerprint detection signal;

a second fingerprint detection circuit configured to provide a second fingerprint detection signal to the second fingerprint sensor, wherein the second fingerprint sensor performs a fingerprint detection based on the second fingerprint detection signal; and

a control circuit configured to determine whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a first function, based on fingerprint detection information from the first fingerprint sensor, and determine whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a second function, based on fingerprint detection information from the second fingerprint sensor.

16. The driving circuit according to claim 15, wherein the first function is different from the second function.

17. The driving circuit according to claim 15, wherein

the first function comprises a turning-on and a screen-unlocking of the electronic apparatus, and

the second function comprises an execution of a predetermined target application.

18. The driving circuit according to claim 15, wherein

the first fingerprint detection circuit is further configured to receive fingerprint detection information from the first fingerprint sensor and output the fingerprint detection information to the control circuit, and the control circuit determines whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform the first function, based on the fingerprint detection information;

and

the second fingerprint detection circuit is further configured to receive fingerprint detection information from the second fingerprint sensor and output the fingerprint detection information to the control circuit, and the control circuit determines whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform the second function, based on the fingerprint detection information.

19. The driving circuit according to claim 15, further comprising:

a first triggering circuit, wherein the first triggering circuit controls the first fingerprint detection circuit to communicate with the first fingerprint sensor, if the first triggering circuit receives a triggering signal for turning-on or a triggering signal for screen-unlocking, and the first fingerprint detection circuit provides the first fingerprint detection signal to the first fingerprint sensor.

20. The driving circuit according to claim 15, further comprising:

a second triggering circuit, wherein the second triggering circuit controls the second fingerprint detection circuit to communicate with the second fingerprint sensor, if the second triggering circuit receives a triggering signal for a predetermined target application, and the second fingerprint detection circuit provides the second fingerprint detection signal to the second fingerprint sensor.

21. A method for driving an electronic apparatus with fingerprint sensing function, wherein the electronic apparatus comprises a first fingerprint sensor configured to perform a fingerprint detection and a second fingerprint sensor configured to perform a fingerprint detection and wherein the electronic apparatus further comprises a display device, the display device comprises a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel comprises a first display electrode, a second display electrode and a display medium therebetween, the display apparatus provides voltages to the first display electrodes and the second display electrodes to control the display media to display an image, the plurality of display pixels form a display region, and at least one of the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor is disposed in the display region;

and the method comprises;

providing a first fingerprint detection signal to the first fingerprint sensor;

driving the first fingerprint sensor to perform a fingerprint detection, based on the first fingerprint detection signal;

determining whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a first function, based on fingerprint detection information from the first fingerprint sensor; and

providing a second fingerprint detection signal to the second fingerprint sensor;

driving the second fingerprint sensor to perform a fingerprint detection, based on the second fingerprint detection signal; and

determining whether to control the electronic apparatus to perform a second function, based on fingerprint detection information from the second fingerprint sensor.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein the first fingerprint detection signal is provided to the first fingerprint sensor if a triggering signal for turning-on or a triggering signal for screen-unlocking is received.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein the second fingerprint detection signal is provided to the second fingerprint sensor if a triggering signal for a predetermined target application is received.