Back to results
US 6,327,376 B1Granted
Electronic apparatus comprising fingerprint sensing devices
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorGerard F. Harkin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorGerard F. Harkin
Estimating the term…
An electronic apparatus comprising a fingerprint sensing device (10) having an array of sensing elements (12) carried on a transparent substrate (35) for sensing capacitively the ridge pattern of a fingerprint placed over the array, in which the transparency of the device is utilised to provide additional capabilities. Thus, an optical sensing device (60) may be disposed beneath the device (10) to sense optically through the device a further biometric characteristic, or the presence, of the finger overlying the sensing element array. Substantial transparency can be afforded to the device by forming the sense electrodes (30) of the array from transparent conductive material. In products like mobile telephones, notebook computers, PDAs, smart cards or like portable electronic products of small size such as fingerprint sensing device can then advantageously be arranged overlying a display device with the display output being visible through the device.
An electronic apparatus comprising a fingerprint sensing device having an array of spaced sensing elements carried on a transparent substrate for sensing capacitively a ridge pattern of a person's fingerprint when placed over the array, each sensing element comprising a sense electrode and an insulating layer overlying the sense electrode, for producing in combination with a fingerprint part overlying the insulating layer a capacitive effect, wherein the sensing elements of the array are substantially transparent with the sense electrodes being formed of transparent conductive material and their overlying insulating layer also being formed of transparent material,
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.