Apple Inc.

Authentec, Inc.

Michael Boshra

Gregory Thomas Minteer

William Matthew Vieta

Jeffrey C Lee

James R Waldron

Gary S Porter

Andrew J Vandamia

Dale R Setlak

Peter Eric Sherlock

Robert Scott Brandt

Craig Alan Marciniak

Pavel Mrazek

A wearable electronic device may include a device body and a device band coupled to the device body for securing the device to a wrist of a user. The wearable electronic device may also include a wrist biometric sensor carried by one of the device body and the device band. The wrist biometric sensor may include biometric sensing pixels. The wearable electronic device may also include a processor coupled to the wrist biometric sensor and configured to cooperate with the biometric sensing pixels to acquire skin texture pattern images from adjacent portions of the user's wrist, and perform at least one authentication function based upon the skin texture pattern images.

Wearable electronic device including wrist biometric sensor for acquiring skin texture pattern images and related methods

An electronic device can include a processing device operatively connected to a biometric sensing device. The biometric sensing device may capture a biometric image each time a user interacts with the electronic device. When the user enters user identification data (UID) and a biometric image was recently captured, the biometric image is tagged with the UID. The user can access the electronic device and/or an application being accessed on the electronic device when a subsequently captured biometric image matches a tagged biometric image or an untagged biometric image that is assigned to a cluster that includes a tagged biometric image.

Background enrollment and authentication of a user

A device may include a finger biometric sensor and a processor coupled thereto. The processor may acquire first and second finger matching biometric data based upon first and second finger placements adjacent the sensor. The processor may also perform a matching between the first and second finger matching data to generate composite finger matching data having an associated composite match score, perform another matching between the composite matching data and finger enrollment data when the composite match score exceeds a match threshold to generate an enrollment match score, and update the finger enrollment data with the composite matching data when the enrollment match score exceeds an enrollment threshold. In other embodiments, where the second finger matching data is acquired based upon a removal and replacement of the finger from adjacent the finger sensor, instead of or in addition to updating the finger enrollment data, a device function may be performed.

Electronic device for processing composite finger matching biometric data and related methods

An electronic device may include a finger biometric sensor that includes an array of electric field sensing pixels and image data output circuitry coupled thereto and capable of outputting image data from a plurality of sub-arrays of the array of electric field sensing pixels and processing circuitry coupled to the image data output circuitry. The processing circuitry is capable of determining movement of a user's finger across the array of electric field sensing pixels by comparing image data from borders of adjacent sub-arrays, the movement causing artifacts in the image data, and, when movement of the user's finger is determined, remove the artifacts from the image data.

Electronic device including movement based artifact removal and related methods

A template of a biometric attribute for use with a biometric recognition device includes a long term component and a short term component. The long term component can include a plurality of nodes that each represents at least a portion of the biometric attribute. The short term component may include one or more newly captured nodes that each represents at least a portion of the biometric attribute.

Updating a template for a biometric recognition device

Processing a fingerprint can include determining one or more optimal weights based on ridge flow angles or ridge flow angle differences. Determination of the optimal weight(s) can be based on predicting a ridge flow angle for each cell in a ridge flow map using one or more neighboring cells. The optimal weights may be estimated so as to minimize error between the predicted and actual ridge flow angles. Alternatively, the optimal weight(s) may be determined using a predicted ridge flow angle difference for each cell in a difference map that is based on an actual ridge flow angle difference for one or more neighboring cells. The optimal weights can be estimated to minimize the error between predicted and actual angle differences. Additionally, a correlation penalty may be determined based on an extent of spatial correlation in the ridge flow angle differences in the difference map.

Processing a fingerprint for fingerprint matching

An electronic device may include a finger-operated input device, and a finger sensor carried by the finger-operated input device to sense a user's finger. The electronic device may further include a processor to perform applications and perform at least one device function responsive to an operation of the finger-operated input device. The processor may acquire finger-matching biometric data of the user's finger responsive to each operation of the finger-operated input device. The processor may further authenticate the user based upon an authentication request from one of the applications. The authentication may be based upon a match of most recently acquired finger-matching biometric data and finger-enrollment biometric data.

Electronic device including finger-operated input device based biometric matching and related methods

An electronic device may include a finger biometric sensor, a memory, and a processor capable of generating a respective finger biometric template node for each finger positioning adjacent the finger biometric sensor. The processor may also be capable of allocating a set space of the memory to store a total number of finger biometric template nodes based upon a first number of fingers and with each finger having a first number of finger biometric template nodes associated therewith. In addition, the processor may reallocate the set space of the memory to store the total number of finger biometric template nodes but with a second number of finger biometric template nodes associated with at least one finger, with the second number of finger biometric template nodes being different than the first number of finger biometric template nodes.

Electronic device for reallocating finger biometric template nodes in a set memory space and related methods

A finger biometric sensor may include an array of finger biometric sensing pixels, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may be capable of acquiring finger biometric data from the array of finger biometric sensing pixels and generating image data from the finger biometric data. The image data may be generated based upon at least a finger sliding motion when a finger is slid adjacent the array of finger biometric sensing pixels, and a finger static positioning when the finger is statically positioned adjacent the array of finger biometric sensing pixels. The processing circuitry may also be capable of determining a match between the image data and enrolled image data.

Finger biometric sensor including sliding motion and static positioning based biometric data generation and related methods

A finger sensing apparatus may include a finger sensor including an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, an array of finger sensing elements on the IC substrate, and match circuitry on the IC substrate for performing final finger matching. The finger sensing apparatus may also include a host platform cooperating with the array of finger sensing elements for performing at least one finger prematch function. In addition, the finger sensor and the host platform may implement at least one security function therebetween. The at least one security function may include a watermarking function, and/or an encryption/decryption function.

Finger sensing apparatus using hybrid matching and associated methods

A finger biometric sensor may include an array of finger biometric sensing pixels, and processing circuitry coupled to the array of finger biometric sensing pixels. The processing circuitry may be capable of collecting initial enrollment finger biometric data sets and generating an initial enrollment criteria based thereon, collecting at least one additional enrollment finger biometric data set, and adapting the initial enrollment criteria based thereon to define an additional enrollment criteria. The processing circuitry may also be capable of flagging the initial enrollment finger data sets and the at least one additional enrollment finger data set as sufficient if the additional enrollment criteria meets an acceptance condition, and collecting further enrollment finger biometric data and adapting the additional enrollment criteria if the additional enrollment criteria fails to meet the acceptance condition.

Finger biometric sensor for flagging as sufficient enrollment finger biometric data sets and related methods

An electronic device may include a finger biometric sensor and a processor cooperating with the finger biometric sensor. The processor may be capable of determining enrollment finger ridge flow angles over an enrollment area for an enrolled finger, and determining match finger ridge flow angles over a match area for a to-be matched finger. The processor may also be capable of determining at least one likely match sub-area of the enrollment area by dividing the enrollment area into a plurality of regions and determining a respective enrollment ridge flow histogram for each region of the enrollment area, and determining whether the to-be matched finger matches the enrolled finger based upon the at least one likely match sub-area.

Finger biometric sensor providing coarse matching of ridge flow data using histograms and related methods

A finger sensing device may include an integrated circuit (IC) substrate, an array of finger sensing elements on the IC substrate, and image watermark circuitry on the IC substrate and cooperating with the array of finger sensing elements for generating finger image data with an image watermark embedded therein. The finger sensing apparatus may also include match circuitry on the IC substrate for performing finger matching based at least upon the image watermark. The array of finger sensing elements may include an array of finger sensing pixels. The image watermark circuitry may distort values from the array of finger sensing pixels to generate the finger image data with the image watermark embedded therein. The watermark circuitry may distort position values from the array of finger sensing pixels.

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Indialantic, FL, United States of America

Michael Boshra