Apple Inc.

Authentec, Inc.

Authentic, Inc.

Gordon Scot Franza

Dale R Setlak

Giovanni Gozzini

Mohammad Yeke Yazdandoost

Brian Michael King

Andrew W Joyce

Ehsan Khajeh

Marcus Yip

Aaron Scott Tucker

Gregory Thomas Minteer

Richard J Jones

Patrick J Landy

Jason S Griesbach

Jerry G Dooley

Henry Hung Yang

Jean-Marie Bussat

Pavel Mrazek

Peter Eric Sherlock

Alexander Guerrero

An acoustic imaging system coupled to an acoustic medium to define an imaging surface. The acoustic imaging system includes an array of piezoelectric acoustic transducers formed at least in part from a thin-film piezoelectric material, such as PVDF. The array is coupled to the acoustic medium opposite the imaging surface and formed using a thin-film manufacturing process over an application-specific integrated circuit that, in turn, is configured to leverage on or more beamforming scan operations to drive the array of piezoelectric actuators to generate an image of an object at least partially wetting to the imaging surface.

Beamforming optimization for segmented thin-film acoustic imaging systems incorporated in personal portable electronic devices

An acoustic imaging system coupled to an acoustic medium to define an imaging surface. The acoustic imaging system includes an array of piezoelectric acoustic transducers formed at least in part from a thin-film piezoelectric material, such as PVDF. The array is coupled to the acoustic medium opposite the imaging surface and formed using a thin-film manufacturing process over an application-specific integrated circuit that, in turn, is configured to leverage the array of piezoelectric actuators to generate an image of an object at least partially wetting to the imaging surface.

Signal processing for segmented thin-film acoustic imaging systems for portable electronic devices

An acoustic imaging system coupled to an acoustic imaging medium to define an imaging surface. The acoustic imaging system includes an array of piezoelectric acoustic transducers formed at least in part from a thin-film piezoelectric material, such as PVDF. The array is coupled to the acoustic imaging medium opposite the imaging surface and formed using a thin-film manufacturing process over an application-specific integrated circuit that, in turn, is configured to leverage the array of piezoelectric actuators to generate an image of an object at least partially wetting to the imaging surface.

Regional gain control for segmented thin-film acoustic imaging systems

An acoustic imaging system coupled to a sensing plate to define an imaging surface. The acoustic imaging system includes an array of piezoelectric acoustic transducers coupled to the sensing plate opposite the imaging surface and formed using a thin-film manufacturing process over an application-specific integrated circuit that, in turn, is configured to leverage the array of piezoelectric actuators to generate an image of an object at least partially wetting to the imaging surface.

Thin-film acoustic imaging system for imaging through an exterior surface of an electronic device housing

A capacitive fingerprint sensor includes an array of capacitive sensing elements, readout circuitry electrically coupled to the array of capacitive sensing elements, a block first digital to analog converter (DAC), at least one second DAC, and at least one summing junction electrically coupled to the readout circuitry, the first DAC, and the at least one second DAC. The readout circuitry is adapted to read out pixel voltages from a group of each block of capacitive sensing elements. The first DAC is adapted to provide a block baseline voltage for each block of capacitive sensing elements. The second DAC is adapted to provide a pixel baseline voltage difference for one capacitive sensing element of each group of each block. The summing junction is adapted to subtract the received block baseline voltage and the received pixel baseline voltage difference from the corresponding pixel voltage of each row of each block.

Fixed pattern noise compensation techniques for capacitive fingerprint sensors

An electronic device may include finger biometric sensing pixels and a processor capable of cooperating with the finger biometric sensing pixels to generate a series of finger images at a progressively slower capture rate as a finger settling increases over time from initial placement of a user's finger adjacent the finger biometric sensing pixels. The processor may also be capable of cooperating with the finger biometric sensing pixels to determine a quality factor for each image in the series thereof, and select at least one image from the series thereof for matching and based upon the quality factor.

Electronic device generating finger images at a progressively slower capture rate and related methods

A finger biometric sensing device may include drive circuitry capable of generating a drive signal and an array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes cooperating with the drive circuitry and capable of generating a detected signal based upon placement of a finger adjacent the array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes. The detected signal may include a relatively large drive signal component and a relatively small sense signal component superimposed thereon. The finger biometric sensing device may also include a gain stage coupled to the array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes, and drive signal nulling circuitry coupled to the gain stage capable of reducing the relatively large drive signal component from the detected signal.

Finger biometric sensing device including drive signal nulling circuitry and related methods

A finger biometric sensing device may include an array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes and a gain stage coupled to the array of finger biometric sensing pixel electrodes. The finger biometric sensing device may also include error compensation circuitry that may include a memory capable of storing error compensation data. The error correction circuitry may also include a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) cooperating with the memory and coupled to the gain stage and capable of compensating for at least one error based upon the stored error compensation data.

Finger biometric sensing device including error compensation circuitry and related methods

A finger biometric sensor may include first and second integrated circuit (IC) dies arranged in a stacked relation. The first IC die may include a first semiconductor substrate and an array of finger biometric sensing pixels thereon, and the second IC die may include a second semiconductor substrate and processing circuitry thereon coupled to the array of finger biometric sensing pixels. The first and second IC dies may each have respective first and second non-rectangular shapes, such as circular shapes that are coextensive.

Finger biometric sensor including stacked die each having a non-rectangular shape and related methods

A finger sensing device may include an integrated circuit (IC) substrate and an array of pixels on the IC substrate. Each pixel may be selectively operable in at least a receiving mode for receiving radiation from an adjacent finger, or a transmitting mode for transmitting radiation into the adjacent finger. The finger sensing device may also include a controller coupled to the array of pixels for selectively operating at least one first pixel in the receiving mode, and while selectively operating at least one second pixel in the transmitting mode. Each pixel may also be selectively operable in a mask mode for neither receiving nor transmitting radiation. The controller may also selectively operate at least one third pixel in the mask mode while selectively operating the at least one first and second pixels in the receiving and transmitting modes.

Finger sensing apparatus with selectively operable transmitting/receiving pixels and associated methods

A finger sensing device may include an array of finger sensing electrodes, and a processor cooperating with the array of finger sensing electrodes for operation in a lower power consumption finger detecting mode, and for operation in a higher power consumption reading mode upon detection of a finger. The processor may selectively bus together finger sensing electrodes into at least one group from the array thereof when in the lower power consumption finger detecting mode to thereby detect a finger adjacent the array of finger sensing electrodes. Accordingly, a finger may be accurately detected and while in a low power mode, such as may be particularly beneficial to extend battery life for portable electronic devices.

Finger sensing device with low power finger detection and associated methods

An electronic device includes a portable housing, an optical source carried by the portable housing, and an optical dispersion finger sensor carried by the portable housing. The sensor may include an integrated circuit substrate adjacent the optical source so that light propagates into and is dispersed by the user's finger with at least a portion of the dispersed light exiting the user's finger in a direction toward the integrated circuit substrate. The sensor may also include at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel on the substrate for sensing dispersed light from the user's finger to be used to generate optical dispersion biometric data from the user's finger. A processor may be connected to the one or more sensing pixels to enable at least one device function based upon the optical dispersion biometric data.

Electronic device including optical dispersion finger sensor and associated methods

An optical dispersion finger sensor includes an integrated circuit substrate, and an optical source for directing light into a user's finger when positioned adjacent the integrated circuit substrate. The light may propagate into and be dispersed by the user's finger so that at least a portion of the dispersed light exits the user's finger in a direction toward the integrated circuit substrate. The sensor may also include at least one optical dispersion sensing pixel on the integrated circuit substrate for sensing dispersed light from the user's finger. A processor may be connected to the optical dispersion sensing pixels for generating optical dispersion biometric data based upon dispersed light from the user's finger.

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Rockledge, FL, United States of America

Gordon Scot Franza