Google Inc.

Qualcomm Incorporated

Motorola Mobility LLC

Motorola Corporation

Google Technology Holdings LLC

Timothy Dickinson

Rachid M Alameh

Robert A Zurek

William Paul Alberth, Jr

John Keith Schneider

Kostadin Dimitrov Djordjev

Jack Conway Kitchens

Stephen Michael Gojevic

Suryaprakash Ganti

Evan Robert Hildreth

David William Burns

Phillip D Rasky

Philip John Schneider

Evan Michael Breloff

Hrishikesh Vijaykumar Panchawagh

Samir Kumar Gupta

Patrick J Cauwels

Paul R Steuer

Louis Dominic Oliveira

Lennart Karl-Axel Mathe

Leonard Eugene Fennell

Qubo Zhou

Scott McCarthy

Jiri Slaby

Ravindra Vaman Shenoy

Hao-Yen Tang

Yipeng Lu

Jon Lasiter

Nicholas Ian Buchan

Donald William Kidwell, Jr

Eugene Dantsker

Kollengode S Narayanan

Robert Michael Johnson, Jr

Arthur Christopher Leyh

Muhammed Ibrahim Sezan

Aaron L Dietrich

Jack Conway Kitchens, Ii

John C Johnson

John Henry Krahenbuhl

Ashish Hinger

Hui Dai

Nai-Kuei Kuo

Livingstone Song

William Alberth

Jeong J Ma

William E Wangard

Srikanth Chilukuru

Max Hamel

Roger L Franz

Seok-Hwan Kim

Scott Mccarthy

John Schneider

Kollengode Narayanan

Ii Jack Conway Kitchens

An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template. A determination is made as to whether the analysis result and the template are similar, and the object is declared to be alive if the analysis result is determined to be similar to the template.

Method and apparatus of user verification by ultrasonic subdermal probe

A method and system for identifying location of a touched body part. The method includes initializing a tracking system for monitoring travel of a pointer useful for indicating a touching operation, wherein the touching operation is performed on a body part. In addition, the method includes monitoring the travel of the pointer from a predetermined first location to a second location, wherein the second location coincides with a touch endpoint on a body part; and identifying the location of body part that was touched by the pointer.

Method and system for identifying location of a touched body part

An ultrasonic sensor pixel includes a substrate, a piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) and a sensor pixel circuit. The PMUT includes a piezoelectric layer stack including a piezoelectric layer disposed over a cavity, the cavity being disposed between the piezoelectric layer stack and the substrate, a reference electrode disposed between the piezoelectric layer and the cavity, and one or both of a receive electrode and a transmit electrode disposed on or proximate to a first surface of the piezoelectric layer, the first surface being opposite from the cavity. The sensor pixel circuit is electrically coupled with one or more of the reference electrode, the receive electrode and the transmit electrode and the PMUT and the sensor pixel circuit are integrated with the sensor pixel circuit on the substrate.

Integrated piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducer pixel and array

Methods and systems of determining whether an object is alive, and therefore part of a live individual, are described. An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template. A determination is made as to whether the analysis result and the template are similar, and the object is declared to be alive if the analysis result is determined to be similar to the template.

Spoof detection by ultrasonic subdermal probe

A display system includes a display and a control circuit operable with the display. The display is configured to provide visual output having a presentation orientation. When user input is received, the control circuit can alter the presentation orientation from an initial orientation in response to user input. When non-user events or device events are detected, the control circuit can revert the presentation orientation to the initial orientation in response to the non-user event or device event. Where the presentation orientation has a user input configuration associated therewith, the user input configuration can either be altered with the presentation orientation or retained in an initial disposition.

Display device, corresponding systems, and methods therefor

A portable electronic device includes a processor and a detection mechanism operable to detect one or more characteristics relating to how a user handles the electronic device. The processor is operably coupled to the detection mechanism and operable in accordance with stored operating instructions to: determine, based on the detected characteristics, which limb of the user possesses the portable electronic device; and control at least one function of the portable electronic device taking into account which limb of the user possesses the electronic device (e.g., which limb of the user is holding or secured to the electronic device). According to one embodiment, the processor may further determine a reference position for the portable electronic device (e.g., a position of the device at rest) and compare one or more of the detected characteristics to the reference position to determine which limb of the user possesses the electronic device.

Portable electronic device and method for controlling operation thereof taking into account which limb possesses the electronic device

An apparatus includes an integrated circuit configured to be operatively coupled to a sensor array that is configured to generate an ultrasonic wave. The integrated circuit includes a transmitter circuit configured to provide a first signal to the sensor array. The integrated circuit further includes a receiver circuit configured to receive a second signal from the sensor array in response to providing the first signal. The sensor array includes an ultrasonic transmitter configured to generate the ultrasonic wave in response to the first signal and a piezoelectric receiver layer configured to detect a reflection of the ultrasonic wave.

Method and integrated circuit to generate a signal to operate a sensor array

Systems and methods are provided for controlling functions associated with a touch-sensitive device () capable of being worn by a user. The touch-sensitive device () includes a substrate () with an outside surface () and an inside surface () opposite from the outside surface (). A first contact sensing component () generates a first signal upon detection of a first contact with the outside surface (), and a second contact sensing component () generates a second signal upon detection of a second contact with the inside surface (). A processor () may be configured to interface with the first contact sensing component () and the second contact sensing component () and perform operations including: analyzing the first signal and the second signal to determine that a predetermined condition is satisfied, and in response to the analyzing, initiating a function associated with the predetermined condition.

Systems and methods for a wearable touch-sensitive device

A method of operation of an ultrasonic sensor array includes receiving a receiver bias voltage at a receiver bias electrode of the ultrasonic sensor array to bias piezoelectric sensor elements of the ultrasonic sensor array. The method further includes receiving a transmitter control signal at the ultrasonic sensor array to cause an ultrasonic transmitter of the ultrasonic sensor array to generate an ultrasonic wave. The method further includes generating data samples based on a reflection of the ultrasonic wave. The receiver bias voltage and the transmitter control signal are received from an integrated circuit that is coupled to the ultrasonic sensor array.

Sensor array with receiver bias electrode

Embodiments of an ultrasonic button and methods for using the ultrasonic button are disclosed. In one embodiment, an ultrasonic button may include an ultrasonic transmitter configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave, a piezoelectric receiver layer configured to receive a reflected wave of the ultrasonic wave, a platen layer configured to protect the ultrasonic transmitter and the piezoelectric receiver layer, a first matching layer configured to match an acoustic impedance of the platen layer with an acoustic impedance of ridges of a finger, and an ultrasonic sensor array configured to detect the finger using the reflected wave.

Ultrasonic authenticating button

A display device has a visual display capable of providing an image and an ultrasonic sensor array attached to a backside component of the visual display. The ultrasonic sensor array may be an ultrasonic area array sensor. For example, the backside component may be a backlight, an optical waveguide, or a display TFT.

Display with backside ultrasonic sensor array

A method and apparatus provide two-dimensional to three-dimensional image conversion. The apparatus can include an input configured to receive a first image. The apparatus can include a controller configured to segment the first image into a plurality of regions, configured to perform a Fast Fourier Transform on at least one of the regions, and configured to determine a relative horizontal displacement distance between a first frame and a second frame of at least one region based on performing the Fast Fourier Transform.

Method and apparatus for two-dimensional to three-dimensional image conversion

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Crystal Lake, IL, United States of America

Timothy Dickinson