Fingerprint collection apparatus and fingerprint collection method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11308305-B2
Application number	US-202016986609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2020
Priority date	Feb 7, 2018
Publication date	Apr 19, 2022
Grant date	Apr 19, 2022

Abstract

This application provides a fingerprint collection apparatus. According to the fingerprint collection method and the related apparatus that are provided in this application, a sensor array is divided into a plurality of areas in terms of a column based on a quantity of input ports of an analog front end component and a quantity of columns of the sensor array, and sensor units in different areas multiplex input channels of the analog front end component by using switches. In this way, when scanning row scanning lines in the sensor array, a row scanning circuit may control the switches to output, to the analog front end component in a time division manner, original fingerprint data collected by the sensor units in the different areas, so that fewer input channels of the analog front end component can be required, and a size of a fingerprint collection apparatus can be reduced.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fingerprint collection apparatus, comprising:
a sensor array comprising a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate and organic photosensitive diodes (OPDs), disposed on the TFT substrate, the TFT substrate includes M rows of TFTs and N columns of TFTs, wherein M rows of OPDs and N columns of OPDs are disposed on the TFT substrate, and the M rows of OPDs and the N columns of OPDs are respectively connected to the M rows of TFTs and the N columns of TFTs, each TFT is configured to enable an OPD connected to the TFT, and each OPD is configured to convert a sensed optical signal into an electrical signal; wherein a switch circuit is implemented by TFTs; M rows of sensor units and N columns of sensor units are comprised in the sensor array; each sensor unit includes one TFT and one OPD, the one TFT comprised in said each sensor unit is configured to: when a row scanning signal is received, output original fingerprint data generated by the one OPD;
an analog front end circuit comprising L input channels, M and N are positive integers greater than 1, and L is a positive integer less than N, wherein the N columns of sensor units are grouped into a plurality of groups of sensor units based on column as a unit, and a quantity of columns of sensor units comprised in each of the plurality of groups of sensor units is less than or equal to L;
the switch circuit to multiplex the L input channels of the analog front end circuit in a time division manner using data lines of the plurality of groups of sensor units;
a row scanning circuit configured to output row scanning signals of the sensor array row by row, wherein
each sensor unit in the sensor array is configured to: generate original fingerprint data, and output the original fingerprint data from a data line when a row scanning signal is received;
the switch circuit is configured to select to output the original fingerprint data in any one of the plurality of groups of sensor units to the L input channels; and
the analog front end circuit is configured to convert, into digital fingerprint data, the original fingerprint data that is output by the any group of sensor units.

2. The fingerprint collection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the switch circuit comprises a plurality of groups of switches, the plurality of groups of switches are in a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of groups of sensor units, each group of switches comprises L switches, and each of the plurality of groups of sensor units comprises L columns of sensor units;
data lines of the L columns of sensor units comprised in each of the plurality of groups of sensor units are respectively connected to the L input channels of the analog front end circuit by using L switches comprised in a corresponding group of switches in the plurality of groups of switches;
the fingerprint collection apparatus further comprises a first control circuit configured to send a clock signal to the row scanning circuit;
the row scanning circuit is configured to output the row scanning signals of the sensor array row by row based on the clock signal;
the first control circuit is further configured to send enabling signals to the plurality of groups of switches, and the enabling signal are used to turn on a target group of switches in the plurality of groups of switches and turn off the other groups of switches in the plurality of groups of switches; and
the switch circuit is configured to select to output the original fingerprint data in a target group of sensor units corresponding to the target group of switches to the L input channels.

3. The fingerprint collection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first control circuit is further configured to output a collection time sequence signal to the analog front end circuit when outputting the clock signal and the enabling signal, and the collection time sequence signal is used to control the analog front end circuit to receive the original fingerprint data that is output by the sensor array.

4. The fingerprint collection apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the fingerprint collection apparatus further comprises a screen and a second control circuit;
the second control circuit is configured to: determine location information of a finger on the screen, and send the location information to the first control circuit; and
the first control circuit is configured to: determine a start row and an end row of the M rows of sensor units based on the location information, determine the target group of sensor units from the plurality of groups of sensor units based on the location information, output the collection time sequence signal to the analog front end circuit when the row scanning circuit outputs the row scanning signal to the start row, and stop outputting the collection time sequence signal to the analog front end circuit until the row scanning circuit outputs the row scanning signal to the end row, wherein the target group of switches correspond to the target group of sensor units, sensor units between the start row and the end row comprise a sensor unit that is in the sensor array and that is located in an area corresponding to the location information, and the target group of sensor units comprises the sensor unit.

5. The fingerprint collection apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the second control circuit is further configured to send the location information to the screen; and
the screen is configured to illuminate, based on the location information, a pixel that is on the screen and that is located in the area corresponding to the location information.

6. The fingerprint collection apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the area corresponding to the location information comprises an area, of a size of 10 millimeters×10 millimeters, that is centered on a location indicated by the location information.

7. A display, comprising:
a display circuit; and
a fingerprint collection apparatus; wherein the fingerprint collection apparatus comprises
a sensor array comprising a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate and organic photosensitive diodes (OPDs), disposed on the TFT substrate, the TFT substrate includes M rows of TFTs and N columns of TFTs, wherein M rows of OPDs and N columns of OPDs are disposed on the TFT substrate, and the M rows of OPDs and the N columns of OPDs are respectively connected to the M rows of TFTs and the N columns of TFTs, each TFT is configured to enable an OPD connected to the TFT, and each OPD is configured to convert a sensed optical signal into an electrical signal; wherein a switch circuit is implemented by TFTs; M rows of sensor units and N columns of sensor units are comprised in the sensor array; each sensor unit includes one TFT and one OPD, the one TFT comprised in said each sensor unit is configured to: when a row scanning signal is received, output original fingerprint data generated by the one OPD;
an analog front end circuit comprises L input channels, M and N are positive integers greater than 1, and L is a positive integer less than N, wherein the N columns of sensor units are grouped into a plurality of groups of sensor units based on column as a unit, and a quantity of columns of sensor units comprised in each of the plurality of groups of sensor units is less than or equal to L;
the switch circuit to multiplex the L input channels of the analog front end circuit in a time division manner using data lines of the plurality of groups of sensor units;
a row scanning circuit configured to output row scanning signals of the sensor array row by row; wherein
the sensor unit in the sensor array is configured to: generate original fingerprint data, and output the original fingerprint data from a data line when a row scanning signal is received;
the swi

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Wang Xilin
• Wang Tao
• Zhong Ding
• Xing Xiao
• Ma Wei
• Liu Chun Yen
• Woo Sooyoung

Classifications

• G06V40/1318 Primary

  using electro-optical elements or layers, e.g. electroluminescent sensing · CPC title

• G06V40/1341

  Sensing with light passing through the finger · CPC title

• G06V40/1335 Primary

  Combining adjacent partial images (e.g. slices) to create a composite input or reference pattern; Tracking a sweeping finger movement · CPC title

• G06V40/1388

  using image processing · CPC title

• G06V40/1306

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