# US 10,311,279 B2 · Fingerprint sensor device and operation method thereof > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,311,279 B2 - Document ID: US10311279B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/299,473 - Filed: 2016-10-21 - Published: 2018-04-26 - Granted: 2019-06-04 - Earliest claimed: 2016-10-21 - Assignees: Novatek Microelectronics Corp. - Applicants: Novatek Microelectronics Corp. - Inventors: Ji-Ting Chen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10311279B2 ## CPC - G06V 40/1394: {using acquisition arrangements} - G06V 40/1306: {non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing} - G06F 1/00: Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00 (architectures of general purpose stored program computers G06F15/76) - H10P 95/00: Generic processes or apparatus for manufacture or treatments not covered by the other groups of this subclass - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H10P: GENERIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF DEVICES COVERED BY CLASS H10 ## Abstract A fingerprint sensor device and an operation method thereof are provided. The fingerprint sensor device includes a driving electrode, a driving circuit, a fingerprint sensing plate, a reading circuit and a determination circuit. The driving circuit applies a driving signal to an object through the driving electrode. The fingerprint sensing plate has sensing electrodes configured to sense the object. The reading circuit reads the driving signal through the fingerprint sensing plate. During a period between a rising edge time point and its adjacent falling edge time point of the driving signal, the reading circuit respectively samples the driving signal in at least two different phases to obtain at least two sampling results and outputs a difference value of the at least two sampling results. The determination circuit checks the difference value to determine whether the object to be sensed is a real finger or a fake finger. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A fingerprint sensor device, comprising: a driving electrode; a driving circuit, coupled to the driving electrode and configured to apply a driving signal to an object to be sensed through the driving electrode; a fingerprint sensing plate, having a plurality of sensing electrodes, wherein the sensing electrodes are configured to sense the object; a reading circuit, coupled to one of the sensing electrodes of the fingerprint sensing plate and configured to read the driving signal through the fingerprint sensing plate, wherein during a period between a rising edge time point of the driving signal and a falling edge time point of the driving signal adjacent to the rising edge time point, the reading circuit respectively samples the driving signal sensed by the fingerprint sensing plate in at least two different phases to obtain at least two sampling results, and outputs a difference value of the at least two sampling results; and a determination circuit, coupled to the reading circuit to receive the difference value and configured to check the difference value to determine whether the object to be sensed is a real finger or a fake finger. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 1, further comprising: a non-conductive substrate, stacked on the fingerprint sensing plate and disposed between the driving electrode and the fingerprint sensing plate. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the driving circuit outputs a square wave to the driving electrode to serve as the driving signal. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the reading circuit comprises: a first sampling switch, having a first terminal coupled to one of the sensing electrodes; a second sampling switch, having a first terminal coupled to the one of the sensing electrodes; a sampling capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first sampling switch and a second terminal of the second sampling switch; an amplifier, having an inverting input terminal coupled to a second terminal of the sampling capacitor, a non-inverting input terminal coupled to a reference voltage and an output terminal coupled to the determination circuit to provide the difference value; a reset switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier and the output terminal of the amplifier; an integrating capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier; an integrating switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to a second terminal of the integrating capacitor and the output terminal of the amplifier; and a reference voltage switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to the second terminal of the integrating capacitor and the reference voltage. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the first sampling switch and the integrating switch are controlled by a first clock signal, the second sampling switch, the reset switch and the reference voltage switch are controlled by a second clock signal, and a pulse of the first clock signal does not overlap a pulse of the second clock signal. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the reference voltage is a fixed voltage or a pulse voltage. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the reading circuit comprises: a first sampling switch, having a first terminal coupled to one of the sensing electrodes; a second sampling switch, having a first terminal coupled to the one of the sensing electrodes; a first sampling capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first sampling switch and a second terminal of the second sampling switch; an amplifier, having an inverting input terminal coupled to a second terminal of the first sampling capacitor and differential output terminals coupled to the determination circuit to provide the difference value; a first reset switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier and a first output terminal of the differential output terminals of the amplifier; a first integrating capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier; a first integrating switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to a second terminal of the first integrating capacitor and the first output terminal of the differential output terminals of the amplifier; a first reference voltage switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to the second terminal of the first integrating capacitor and a reference voltage; a third sampling switch, having a first terminal coupled to a first voltage; a fourth sampling switch, having a first terminal coupled to a second voltage; a second sampling capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the third sampling switch and a second terminal of the fourth sampling switch, wherein a second terminal of the second sampling capacitor is coupled to a non-inverting input terminal of the amplifier; a second reset switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to the non-inverting input terminal of the amplifier and a second output terminal of the differential output terminals of the amplifier; a second integrating capacitor, having a first terminal coupled to the non-inverting input terminal of the amplifier; a second integrating switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to a second terminal of the second integrating capacitor and the second output terminal of the differential output terminals of the amplifier; and a second reference voltage switch, having a first terminal and a second terminal respectively coupled to the second terminal of the second integrating capacitor and the reference voltage. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 7, wherein the first sampling switch, the first integrating switch, the fourth sampling switch and the second integrating switch are controlled by a first clock signal, the second sampling switch, the first reset switch, the first reference voltage switch, the third sampling switch, the second reset switch and the second reference voltage switch are controlled by a second clock signal, and a pulse of the first clock signal does not overlap a pulse of the second clock signal. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the determination circuit compares the difference value with a threshold and determines whether the object to be sensed is a real finger or a fake finger according to a comparison result of the difference value and the threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The fingerprint sensor device according to claim 9, wherein the determination circuit determines the object to be sensed as a real finger when the difference value is greater than the threshold, and the determination circuit determines the object to be sensed as a fake finger when the difference value is less than the threshold. ### Claim 11 An operation method of a fingerprint sensor device, wherein the fingerprint sensor device comprises a driving electrode, a driving circuit, a fingerprint sensing plate, a reading circuit and a determination circuit, the operation method comprising: applying a driving signal to an object to be sensed through the driving electrode by the driving circuit; sensing the object by a plurality of sensing electrodes of the fingerprint sensing plate; reading the driving signal through one of the sensing electrodes of the fingerprint sensing plate by the reading circuit, wherein during a period between a rising edge time point of the driving signal and a falling edge time point of the driving signal adjacent to the rising edge time point, the reading circuit respectively samples the driving signal sensed by the fingerprint sensing plate in at least two different phases to obtain at least two sampling results and outputs a difference value of the at least two sampling results; and checking the difference value to determine whether the object to be sensed is a real finger or a fake finger by the determination circuit. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The operation method according to claim 11, wherein the driving circuit outputs a square wave to the driving electrode to serve as the driving signal. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The operation method according to claim 11, wherein the step of checking the difference value comprises: comparing the difference value with a threshold and determining whether the object to be sensed is a real finger or a fake finger according to a comparison result of the difference value and the threshold by the determination circuit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The operation method according to claim 13, wherein the step of comparing the difference value with the threshold comprises: determining the object to be sensed as a real finger when the difference value is greater than the threshold; and determining the object to be sensed as a real finger when the difference value is less than the threshold.