# US 11,443,506 B2 · Biometric information sensor device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,443,506 B2 - Document ID: US11443506B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/734,387 - Filed: 2019-05-28 - Published: 2021-06-03 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-06-04 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Tokai Rika Denki Seisakusho; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Takahiko Ando; Yosuke Ohashi; Rijin Owaki; Naoyuki Takada; Yuya Goto; Yasuhisa Ohta; Daisuke Ogawa - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11443506B2 ## CPC - G06F 3/0487: using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser - G06V 40/10: Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands - G06V 40/1306: {non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing} - G06V 40/1365: {Matching; Classification} - G06F 21/32: using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A biometric information sensor device includes a control unit that issues a notification for failure to read biometric information of a detection target when reading of the biometric information fails after a contact of the detection target with a reading surface is detected. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A biometric information sensor device, comprising: a controller that issues a first notification for failure to read biometric information of a detection target when reading of the biometric information fails after a contact of the detection target with a reading surface is detected, wherein, when a number of failures to read biometric information is not less than a predetermined number after the contact with the reading surface is detected, the controller determines that a conductive foreign matter is sticking to the reading surface, and issues a second notification about the conductive foreign matter, wherein the controller issues the first notification when the number of failures to read biometric information is less than the predetermined number, and issues the second notification instead of the first notification when the number of failures to read biometric information becomes not less than the predetermined number, and wherein the predetermined number is equal to or greater than two. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 1, wherein, when the number of failures to read biometric information exceeds the predetermined number after the contact with the reading surface is detected, the controller determines that a conductive foreign matter is sticking to the reading surface, and issues a notification about the conductive foreign matter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 1, wherein, after detecting the contact with the reading surface, the controller issues notifications while periodically switching between the first notification for failure to read the biometric information and the second notification about the conductive foreign matter. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 1, comprising: a biometric information sensor that includes a plurality of detection electrodes under the reading surface and reads the biometric information by means of capacitance generated between the detection target contacting the reading surface and the plurality of detection electrodes, wherein the controller determines the contact of the detection target based on a plurality of capacitances obtained as a result of scanning the reading surface by the biometric information sensor, and then determines whether the biometric information is read based on a plurality of capacitances acquired after the contact of the detection target is determined. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the biometric information sensor generates capacitance information by binarizing the plurality of capacitances into capacitances of not less than a predetermined threshold value and capacitances of less than the threshold value and associating the capacitances with the positions of the detection electrodes, and thereby reads the biometric information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 5, wherein the controller stores a contact threshold value defined as the number of detection electrodes having a capacitance of not less than the threshold value in the capacitance information, and determines that the detection target contacted the reading surface when the number of the detection electrodes having a capacitance of not less than the threshold value in the capacitance information is not less than the contact threshold value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 1, comprising: a biometric information sensor that includes a plurality of detection electrodes under the reading surface and reads the biometric information by means of capacitance generated between the detection target contacting the reading surface and the plurality of detection electrodes; and a contact detection sensor that detects a contact of the detection target with the reading surface, wherein the controller determines the contact of the detection target using the contact detection sensor, and then determines whether the biometric information is read based on a plurality of capacitances acquired from the biometric information sensor after the contact of the detection target is detected. ### Claim 8 (depends on 3) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the controller stores a reading threshold value defined as a number of the detection electrodes having a capacitance of not less than the threshold value in the capacitance information, and determines that reading of the biometric information failed when the number of the detection electrodes having a capacitance of not less than the threshold value in the capacitance information is not more than the reading threshold value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 3, wherein the controller stores a reading threshold value defined as a number of characteristic features obtained by performing an extraction process on the capacitance information, and determines that reading of the biometric information failed when the number of the characteristic features obtained by performing the extraction process on the capacitance information is not more than the reading threshold value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The biometric information sensor device according to claim 1, wherein a biometric information sensor reads a fingerprint as the biometric information.