Elongated Fingerprint Sensor
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsDaniel B. Sargent, Dale Setlak, Giovanni Gozzini, John Raff, Michael B. Wittenberg, Richard H. Koch, Ron A. Hopkinson
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Abstract
An elongated biometric device provides a slim solution for capturing biometric data, and may be placed on a portion of an electronic device having limited space, such as a side of the electronic device. The elongated biometric device may include a force sensor, which may be positioned within a housing of the electronic device and actuated through posts extending from the elongated biometric device through the housing to transfer an applied force to the force sensor.
Claims20
An electronic device, comprising:
- a housing;
- a display positioned at least partially within the housing;
- a fingerprint sensor, comprising:
- a sensor cover defining an input surface, the sensor cover having a length that exceeds a width;
- a conductive frame surrounding the sensor cover;
- a post coupled to the conductive frame and extending through the housing;
- a force sensor configured to output a signal corresponding to an amount of a force exerted on the input surface;
- and
- a capacitive sensor positioned below the sensor cover and configured to capture a fingerprint image in response to the force;
- and
- an isolation member between the conductive frame and the housing;
- wherein
- the conductive frame is configured to move with the sensor cover in response to the amount of the force;
- and
- the post is configured to transfer force from the input surface to the force sensor.
A fingerprint sensor for an electronic device, comprising:
- a sensor cover defining an input surface having a first length greater than a first width;
- an isolation member electrically isolating the sensor cover from an adjacent housing;
- an elongated sensor layer positioned below the sensor cover and comprising an array of capacitive electrodes, the elongated sensor layer having a second length greater than a second width;
- a circuit layer positioned below the elongated sensor layer and electrically coupled to the array of capacitive electrodes;
- and
- processing circuitry coupled to the circuit layer and configured to:
- cause the elongated sensor layer to capture fingerprint data derived from capacitances of the array of capacitive electrodes;
- generate an elongated fingerprint image based on the captured fingerprint data;
- compare the elongated fingerprint image to a stored fingerprint image;
- and
- if the elongated fingerprint image matches the stored fingerprint image, authenticate a user of the electronic device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.