Configuration of an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor relative to a display of a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12183113-B2
Application number	US-202017247734-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2020
Priority date	Dec 21, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

Various aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. In some aspects, a device may include a flexible display. The device may include an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal in an acoustic path through the flexible display. The device may include an acoustics configuration layer that is situated between the display and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. The acoustics configuration layer may be configured to optimize a signal strength of the ultrasonic signal based at least in part on a configuration of one or more layers of the flexible display. Numerous other aspects are provided

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device comprising:
a flexible display comprising a cover layer, an adhesive film layer, and a glass layer, wherein
the adhesive film layer is situated between the cover layer and the glass layer;
an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal in an acoustic path through the flexible display; and
an acoustics configuration layer that is situated between the flexible display and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, wherein
the acoustics configuration layer is formed from a resonating material, wherein
a thickness of the resonating material is approximately 10 % of the thickness of all layers of the flexible display, wherein
the acoustics configuration layer is configured to optimize a signal strength of the ultrasonic signal based at least in part on a configuration of one or more layers of the flexible display, and wherein
a fingerprint sensing area is expanded by the acoustics configuration layer to be greater than a physical area of an array of sensing elements of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resonating material is configured to alter a frequency of the ultrasonic signal.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein an operational frequency range of the ultrasonic signal is between 1 megahertz and 15 megahertz.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein a maximum area of the resonating material is at least 25% of a maximum active area of the flexible display.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of a non-resonating material of the acoustics configuration layer is based at least in part on a half-wavelength of the ultrasonic signal.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein an operational frequency range of the ultrasonic signal is between 10 megahertz and 20 megahertz.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein a non-porous adhesive layer is positioned between the flexible display and the acoustics configuration layer.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the non-porous adhesive layer is laminated to a layer of the flexible display.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is positioned within a recess of a backing layer of the flexible display.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the backing layer comprises at least one of a porous foam layer or a base layer.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cover layer is a cover glass that has a maximum thickness that is less than 200 microns.

12. The device of claim 11 , wherein a thickness of a non-resonating material over the cover glass is based at least in part on a quarter-wavelength of the ultrasonic signal.

13. A device comprising:
a flexible display that includes a cover layer, an adhesive film layer, a glass layer, and a backing layer, wherein
the adhesive film layer is situated between the cover layer and the glass layer, wherein
the flexible display is a foldable display, and wherein
the backing layer includes a recess;
an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor that is configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal in an acoustic path through the flexible display, wherein
the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is positioned within the recess; and
an acoustics configuration layer that includes a fingerprint sensing area that is greater than an area or dimension of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, wherein
the acoustics configuration layer is formed from a resonating material, wherein
a thickness of the resonating material is approximately 10% of the thickness of all layers of the flexible display, and wherein
the fingerprint sensing area is expanded by the acoustics configuration layer to be greater than a physical area of an array of sensing elements of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

14. The device of claim 13 , further comprising a stiffener that is positioned within the recess, and
wherein the stiffener includes the acoustics configuration layer.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the stiffener is positioned between the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and a panel layer of the flexible display.

16. The device of claim 14 , wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is positioned between the stiffener and a panel layer of the flexible display.

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein the backing layer further includes a base layer, and
wherein the stiffener is positioned between the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and a base of the recess that is in the base layer.

18. The device of claim 14 , wherein the stiffener is configured to alter a frequency of the ultrasonic signal.

19. The device of claim 13 , wherein the backing layer further includes a porous foam layer and a base layer, and
wherein the recess comprises an opening that extends through the porous foam layer and through the base layer.

20. The device of claim 13 , wherein the backing layer further includes a porous foam layer and a base layer, and
wherein the recess comprises an opening through the porous foam layer and a base that is within the base layer.

21. The device of claim 13 , wherein the backing layer further includes a porous foam layer and a base layer, and
wherein the base layer is between the porous foam layer and a printed circuit board,
wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is mounted to the printed circuit board.

22. The device of claim 13 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the recess is less than 20% of an area of an active display of the flexible display,
wherein the cross-sectional area is parallel to a portion of the active display.

23. The device of claim 13 , wherein the cover layer is a cover glass that has a thickness that is less than 200 microns.

24. The device of claim 13 , further comprising:
a stiffener between the flexible display and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, wherein the stiffener includes a plastic material, a glass material, a steel material, or an aluminum material; and
one or more adhesive layers between the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and the stiffener.

25. The device of claim 13 , further comprising a stiffener that includes the acoustics configuration layer, and wherein the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor is positioned between the flexible display and the acoustics configuration layer.

26. A device comprising:
a foldable display comprising a cover layer, an adhesive film layer, and a glass layer, wherein
the adhesive film layer is situated between the cover layer and the glass layer;
an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor; and
an acoustics configuration layer formed of a resonating material, wherein
the acoustics configuration layer includes a fingerprint sensing area that is greater than an area or dimension of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, wherein
a thickness of the resonating material is approximately 10% of the thickness of all layers of the foldable display, and wherein
the fingerprint sensing area is expanded by the acoustics configuration layer to be greater than a physical area of an array of sensing elements of the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.

27. The device of claim 26 , wherein the foldable display is an inwardly foldable display.

28. The device of claim 26 , wherein the glass layer includes an ultra-thin glass (UTG).

29. A device comprising:
a foldable display;
an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, wherein
the foldable display comprises a cover layer, an adhesive film layer, a glass layer,

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Strohmann Jessica Liu
• Panchawagh Hrishikesh Vijaykumar
• Lu Yipeng
• Tseng Chin-Jen
• Djordjev Kostadin Dimitrov

Classifications

• G06F1/1652

  the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable · CPC title

• G06V40/1306 Primary

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