Idex Asa

Geir Ivar Bredholt

Nicolai W Christie

Ralph W Bernstein

Øyvind Sløgedal

Anders Nåtas

Fred George Benkley

Oyvind Slogedal

Anders NATÅS

An electronic sensor forms a grid to detect surface features of a proximally located object, such as a fingerprint. The grid includes a plurality of parallel drive lines connectable to a drive source and a plurality of parallel pickup lines oriented substantially perpendicular to the drive lines and overlapping the drive lines. The drive lines are separated from the pickup lines by an insulating dielectric layer. The overlaps where the drive lines and pickup lines cross define impedance-sensitive electrode pairs which act as pixels at which surface features of the proximally located object are detected. One or more conductive probes extend from one or more corresponding impedance-sensitive electrode pairs, through an overlay layer of insulating material, to the sensing surface.

Sensor employing overlapping grid lines and conductive probes for extending a sensing surface from the grid lines

A fingerprint sensor and fingerprint sensor system especially for integration in a device having an overlay made of an insulating material comprises a plurality of sensing elements positioned on a first side of the overlay; a plurality of probes positioned in a predetermined pattern defining a fingerprint sensing area on a second side of the overlay, the plurality of probes extending from the first side of the overlay at least partially through the overlay; a plurality of conductor leads on the first side of the overlay interconnecting the plurality of probes with the plurality of sensing elements; a plurality of amplifiers connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the number of amplifiers being less than the number of sensing elements; and an activation circuit connected to the plurality of sensing elements, the activation circuit being adapted to output at least one activation signal.

Integrated finger print sensor

A sensor unit for measuring surface structures and properties of an object of organic tissue includes a contact surface adapted to have mechanical contact with the object, a first dielectric layer made from a dielectric material, a first conductor layer including at least one shielding electrode essentially covering an area of the dielectric layer facing the contact surface, the at least one shielding electrode surrounding at least one essentially non-conductive aperture defining a sensing region, and a second conductor layer separated from the first conductor layer by the first dielectric layer and comprising a number of conductive wires extending at least partially under the at least one aperture and having a direction essentially perpendicular to the sensing region, each wire having a predetermined width. A sensing area of each wire is defined by the width and the length of each wire extending in the sensing region.

Surface sensor

A method and apparatus for electrical detection of a finger print has a reduced number of interconnect signals between a sensor area and a substrate and an electronic circuit for excitation and detection of the finger print compared to a single-chip finger print sensor. The individual signals are connected internally at the sensor substrate in such a way that the response from the individual sensor elements can be separated from each other. Cross-talk is reduced by keeping the sensor outputs at a constant potential, thus eliminating the effect of capacitive coupling between different sensor outputs and also between sensor outputs and a ground or reference potential.

Detection method and apparatus for reduced cross-talk and asic area of a fingerprint sensor

The invention relates to a sensor for detection of properties and structures of an organic tissue and its surface, e.g. a fingerprint sensor comprising a chosen number of sensor electrodes at chosen positions for coupling to a finger tissue and its surface having a size less or comparable to the size of the structures, characteristics or properties of the finger tissue or surface, and a processing unit including electronic circuitry connected to said electrodes for detection of the voltage at, or the current flow in the electrodes, thereby providing for detection and collection of information of related capacitance, impedance, electromagnetic field, fingerprint, tissue aliveness or other biometric, physical, physiological, thermal or optical or characteristics or properties of the tissue or its surface positioned over the electrodes, the processing unit being mounted on one side of a substrate and the electrodes being embedded in said substrate, the substrate including through going first, second and third conductive paths between said sensor electrodes and said measurement circuitry. The substrate is made from a polymer material such as Polyimide, implemented as a rigid or a flexible multi layer build-up substrate, said first, second, and third conductive paths are constituted by through going substrate sections of a chosen size and material.

The invention relates to a sensor for measuring structures in a surface, e.g. a fingerprint sensor comprising a chosen number of sensor elements at chosen positions for coupling to a finger surface having a size less or comparable to the size of the structures in the finger surface, and a processing unit including interrogation electrodes coupled to said sensor elements for providing impedance measurements at said finger surface, the processing unit being mounted on one side of a substrate and the sensor elements being positioned on the opposite side of said substrate, the substrate including through going first conducting leads between said sensor elements and said interrogation electrodes. The substrate is made from a semiconductor material such as silicon and said first conducting leads are constituted by through going substrate sections of a chosen size surrounded by an insulating dielectric separating them from the substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Oslo, Norway

Geir Ivar Bredholt