# US 2018/0025199 A1 · Non-finger object rejection for fingerprint sensors > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0025199 A1 - Document ID: US20180025199A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/713,346 - Filed: 2017-09-22 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2016-07-20 - Assignees: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation - Applicants: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation - Inventors: Andriy Ryshtun; Oleksandr Rohozin; Viktor Kremin; Oleg Kapshii - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180025199A1 ## CPC - G06V 40/1306: {non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing} - G06V 40/1359: {Extracting features related to ridge properties; Determining the fingerprint type, e.g. whorl or loop} - G06V 40/1376: {Matching features related to ridge properties or fingerprint texture} - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING ## Abstract A method for detecting a finger at a fingerprint sensor includes detecting a presence of an object at a fingerprint sensor and, in response to detecting the presence of the object, acquiring image data for the object based on signals from the fingerprint sensor. The method further includes, for each subset of one or more subsets of the image data, calculating a magnitude value for a spatial frequency of the subset, and identifying the object as a finger based on comparing the magnitude value to a threshold. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method, comprising: detecting a presence of an object at a fingerprint sensor; in response to detecting the presence of the object, acquiring image data for the object based on signals from the fingerprint sensor; for each subset of one or more subsets of the image data, calculating a magnitude value for a spatial frequency of the subset; identifying the object as a finger based on comparing the magnitude value to a threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein for each subset of the one or more subsets of the image data, the subset includes intensity values measured from unit cells along a corresponding section line across the fingerprint sensor. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more subsets of the image data includes a plurality of subsets of the image data, and wherein for each subset of the plurality of subsets of the image data, the section line corresponding to the subset is orthogonal to a section line corresponding to a different subset of the plurality of subsets. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: for each subset of the one or more subsets of the image data, generating a spatial frequency spectrum for the subset by performing a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the subset, identifying a peak in the spatial frequency spectrum corresponding to a spatial period between 300-700 μm, and determining the magnitude value based on a magnitude of the peak. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the magnitude value is proportional to the square of the magnitude of the peak and is inversely proportional to a mean magnitude value of the spatial frequency spectrum. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the magnitude value is proportional to the square of the magnitude of the peak and is inversely proportional to a width of the peak. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the magnitude value comprises performing a Goertzel calculation based on the spatial frequency. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, identifying the object as a finger is further based on comparing ridge directions of a plurality of regions of a surface of the object captured in the image data. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to identifying the object as a finger, transitioning a host device from a low power consumption state to a high power consumption state, wherein the fingerprint sensor controller is operable in a different power mode than the host device. ### Claim 10 A fingerprint sensing circuit, comprising: a hardware scan engine configured to, in response to detecting a presence of an object at a fingerprint sensor, acquire image data for the object based on signals from the fingerprint sensor; a finger detection module coupled with the hardware scan engine and configured to, for each subset of one or more subsets of the image data: calculate a magnitude value for a spatial frequency of the subset, and identify the object as a finger based on comparing the magnitude value to a threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The fingerprint sensing circuit of claim 10, wherein the one or more subsets of the image data includes a plurality of subsets of the image data, wherein each of the plurality of subsets includes intensity values measured from unit cells along a corresponding section line across the fingerprint sensor, and wherein at least two of the section lines are orthogonal to each other. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The fingerprint sensing circuit of claim 10, wherein the finger detection module further comprises a spatial frequency analyzer configured to, for each subset of the one or more subsets of the image data: generate a spatial frequency spectrum for the subset by performing a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the subset, identify a peak in the spatial frequency spectrum corresponding to a spatial period between 300-700 μm, and determine the magnitude value based on a magnitude of the peak. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The fingerprint sensing circuit of claim 10, wherein the finger detection module comprises Gortzel hardware accelerator circuitry configured to calculate the magnitude value by performing a Goertzel calculation based on the spatial frequency. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The fingerprint sensing circuit of claim 10, wherein the finger detection module further comprises a ridge analysis module configured to, for each region of a plurality of regions of a surface of the object captured in the image data: for each directional segment of multiple directional segments of the region, calculate a sum of intensities of pixels included in the directional segment, if an intensity of a center pixel of the region is lower than an average intensity of pixels in the region, identify a direction corresponding to a directional segment having a lowest sum as a ridge direction of the region, and if the intensity of the center pixel of the region is higher than the average intensity of pixels in the region, identify a direction corresponding to a directional segment having the highest sum as the ridge direction of the region. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The fingerprint sensing circuit of claim 14, wherein the finger detection module is further configured to identify the object as a finger by, for each region of the plurality of regions: determining whether the ridge direction of the region differs by at least a threshold amount from an average ridge direction of the plurality of regions, and for each adjacent region bordering the region, determining whether the ridge direction of the region is orthogonal to the ridge direction of the adjacent region. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The fingerprint sensing circuit of claim 10, further comprising a false finger rejection module coupled with the finger detection module and configured to transition a host device from a low power consumption state to a high power consumption state in response to the identifying the object as a finger. ### Claim 17 A fingerprint sensing system, comprising: a fingerprint sensor; a fingerprint sensor controller coupled with the fingerprint sensor and configured to: detect a presence of an object at a fingerprint sensor, in response to detecting the presence of the object, acquire image data for the object based on signals from the fingerprint sensor, and for each subset of one or more subsets of the image data, calculate a magnitude value for a spatial frequency of the subset, and identify the object as a finger based on comparing the magnitude value to a threshold; and a host device coupled with the fingerprint sensor. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The fingerprint sensing system of claim 17, wherein the host device is further configured to, in response to the identifying the object as a finger: receive the image data from the fingerprint sensor controller; and authenticate a user based on matching the image data with fingerprint data associated with the user. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The fingerprint sensing system of claim 17, wherein the fingerprint sensor controller is operable in a different power mode than the host device and is further configured to transition the host device from a low power consumption state to a high power consumption state in response to identifying the object as a finger. ### Claim 20 (depends on 17) The fingerprint sensing system of claim 17, wherein the fingerprint sensor controller is further configured to transmit the magnitude value for the spatial frequency to the host device.