Apparatus and method for controlling fingerprint sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10725578-B2
Application number	US-201815866791-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2018
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an electronic device and method. The electronic device includes a touch screen, at least one fingerprint sensor disposed on the touch screen, and a processor implementing the method, including controlling the touch screen to display one or more graphic objects, detecting attribute information of at least one graphic object associated with a fingerprint sensor disposed on at least a part of the touch screen from among the one or more graphic objects, activating an area of the fingerprint sensor based on the attribute information, the activated area of the fingerprint sensor corresponding to the at least one graphic object, and acquiring fingerprint information through the activated area of the fingerprint sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a touch screen;
at least one fingerprint sensor disposed under at least a part of the touch screen; and
a processor electrically coupled to the touch screen and the at least one fingerprint sensor, wherein the processor is configured to:
control the touch screen to display one or more graphic objects,
obtain attribute information of at least one graphic object associated with the at least one fingerprint sensor from among the one or more graphic objects, and a dimension of at least one touch input that is contacting the touch screen and associated with the at least one graphic object,
activate an area of the at least one fingerprint sensor associated with the at least one graphic object based on the attribute information,
when the at least one touch input is detected partially within the at least one graphic object and partially outside the at least one graphic object, extend the activated area of the at least one fingerprint sensor to encompass an entirety of the at least one touch input including a first portion disposed inside the at least one graphic object and a second portion disposed outside the at least one graphic object, and
obtain fingerprint information through the activated area.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the attribute information includes a coordinate of a first corner of the graphic object, and the dimension of the at least one touch input includes a height and a width of the at least one touch input, and
wherein the activated area is bounded by at least the coordinate of the first corner, a first line extending horizontally from the coordinate matching the width, and a second line extending vertically from the coordinate matching the height.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to select the area for activation based on other attribute information associated with a user input corresponding to the at least one touch input obtained through the touch screen, and
wherein the other attribute information further includes coordinate information or size information for the user input, and
wherein when the at least one object includes a quadrilateral shape, the extended activated area of the at least one fingerprint sensor includes a second quadrilateral shape having an extended height and width greater than the at least one object, the extended height and width of the activated area of the at least one fingerprint sensor being sufficient as to encompass a totality of the at least one touch input disposed partially outside the at least one graphic object.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the other attribute information further includes pressure information for the user input, and the processor is further configured to reduce the activated area to a region corresponding to the pressure information.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store registered fingerprint information,
wherein the area is selected for activation based on other attribute information associated with the stored registered fingerprint information.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fingerprint sensor operates in at least one of a first sensing mode and a second sensing mode, and
wherein the processor is further configured to operate the activated area in the first sensing mode, and to operate a remaining area of the at least one fingerprint sensor different than the activated area in the second sensing mode.

7. The electronic device of claim 6 , wherein acquiring the fingerprint information through the activated area is executed using the first sensing mode, and user input information is acquired through the remaining area using the second sensing mode.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fingerprint sensor includes a first fingerprint sensor and a second fingerprint sensor, and
wherein the processor is further configured to select one of the first and second fingerprint sensors for activation based on correspondence to the activated area.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to ignore information acquired from a remaining area of the at least one fingerprint sensor different than the activated area.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one graphic object includes a selectable display object associated with security authentication.

11. A method for controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:
controlling, by a processor, a touch screen to display one or more graphic objects;
obtaining attribute information of at least one graphic object associated with a fingerprint sensor disposed under at least a part of the touch screen from among the one or more graphic objects, and a dimension of at least one touch input that is contacting the touch screen and associated with the at least one graphic object;
activating an area of the fingerprint sensor based on the attribute information, the activated area of the fingerprint sensor associated with the at least one graphic object;
when the at least one touch input is detected partially within the at least one graphic object and partially outside the at least one graphic object, extending the activated area of the at least one fingerprint sensor to encompass an entirety of the at least one touch input including a first portion disposed inside the at least one graphic object and a second portion disposed outside the at least one graphic object; and
obtaining fingerprint information through the activated area of the fingerprint sensor.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the attribute information includes a coordinate of a first corner of the graphic object, and the dimension of the at least one touch input includes a height and a width of the at least one touch input, and
wherein the activated area is bounded by at least the coordinate of the first corner, a first line extending horizontally from the coordinate matching the width, and a second line extending vertically from the coordinate matching the height.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the processor is further configured to select the area for activation based on other attribute information associated with a user input corresponding to the at least one touch input obtained through the touch screen, and
wherein the other attribute information further includes coordinate information or size information for the user input, and
wherein when the at least one object includes a quadrilateral shape, the extended activated area of the at least one fingerprint sensor includes a second quadrilateral shape having an extended height and width greater than the at least one object, the extended height and width of the activated area of the at least one fingerprint sensor being sufficient as to encompass a totality of the at least one touch input disposed partially outside the at least one graphic object.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the other attribute information further includes pressure information for the user input, and the processor is further configured to reduce the activated area to a region corresponding to the pressure information.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the area is selected for activation based on other attribute information associated with registered fingerprint information stored in a memory.

16. The method of claim 11 , wherein the fingerprint sensor operates in at least one of a first sensing mode and a second sensing mode, the method further comprising operating the act

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Siwoo
• Shin Kwonseung
• Kim Jeongseob
• Han Yonggil
• KIM Hyeonho

Classifications

• G06V40/13

  Sensors therefor · CPC title

• G06V10/17

  using hand-held instruments · CPC title

• G06V40/1365

  Matching; Classification · CPC title

• G06V40/1306

  non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing · CPC title

• G06F3/0481

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title