Image enhancement for fingerprint sensor deployed in a flexible device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12450940-B1
Application number	US-202418895228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 24, 2024
Priority date	Sep 24, 2024
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

Some methods may involve receiving fingerprint image data. Some methods may involve determining whether the fingerprint image data was captured by a first fingerprint sensor of a device or a second fingerprint sensor of the device. Some methods may involve obtaining an enhanced version of the fingerprint image data based on a determination that the fingerprint image data was captured by the second fingerprint sensor of the device. Some methods may involve providing the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data for authentication. In some examples, obtaining the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data may involve an image enhancement machine learning model. In some examples, prior to obtaining the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data, a determination is made that the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor fails to satisfy a quality threshold.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of processing fingerprint image data, the method comprising:
receiving, by a control system, fingerprint image data;
determining, by the control system, whether the fingerprint image data was captured by a first fingerprint sensor of a device or a second fingerprint sensor of the device, wherein the second fingerprint sensor produces lower quality fingerprint image data relative to the first fingerprint sensor;
based on a determination that the fingerprint image data was captured by the second fingerprint sensor of the device, obtaining, by the control system, an enhanced version of the fingerprint image data; and
providing, by the control system, the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data for authentication.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device is a foldable display device having a sub panel comprising the first fingerprint sensor and a main panel comprising the second fingerprint sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
matching fingerprint features extracted from the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data with fingerprint features extracted from an enhanced version of fingerprint image data obtained during a fingerprint enrollment process on the device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the control system, new fingerprint image data;
determining, by the control system, whether the new fingerprint image data was captured by the first fingerprint sensor of the device or the second fingerprint sensor of the device, wherein the first fingerprint sensor produces higher quality fingerprint image data relative to the second fingerprint sensor; and
based on a determination that the new fingerprint image data was captured by the first fingerprint sensor of the device, providing, by the control system, the new fingerprint image data for authentication.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
matching fingerprint features extracted from the new fingerprint image data with fingerprint features extracted from fingerprint image data obtained during a fingerprint enrollment process on the device.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a user associated with the device is enrolled using the first fingerprint sensor and not the second fingerprint sensor.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein, once enrolled, the user may be authenticated by both the first fingerprint sensor and the second fingerprint sensor.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data involves providing the fingerprint image data as input to an image enhancement machine learning model that is trained to output the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the image enhancement machine learning model is trained to transform the fingerprint image data from a first domain to a second domain, wherein the first domain corresponds to fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor, and wherein the second domain corresponds to fingerprint image data associated with the first fingerprint sensor.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the image enhancement machine learning model comprises:
at least one generator that transforms the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor to the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data; and
at least one discriminator that is trained to predict a level of similarity between the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data outputted by the generator and fingerprint image data associated with the first fingerprint sensor.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to obtaining the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data, a determination is made that the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor fails to satisfy a quality threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein satisfaction of the quality threshold is determined based on whether the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor is authenticated by a matching process.

13. An apparatus, comprising:
a first fingerprint sensor;
a second fingerprint sensor; and
a control system configured to:
receive fingerprint image data;
determine whether the fingerprint image data was captured by the first fingerprint sensor or the second fingerprint sensor, wherein the second fingerprint sensor produces lower quality fingerprint image data relative to the first fingerprint sensor;
based on a determination that the fingerprint image data was captured by the second fingerprint sensor, obtain an enhanced version of the fingerprint image data; and
provide the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data for authentication.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the apparatus is a foldable display device having a sub panel comprising the first fingerprint sensor and a main panel comprising the second fingerprint sensor.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein, prior to obtaining the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data, a determination is made that the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor fails to satisfy a quality threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein satisfaction of the quality threshold is determined based on whether the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor is authenticated by a matching process.

17. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions for performing a method stored thereon, the method comprising:
receiving, by a control system, fingerprint image data;
determining, by the control system, whether the fingerprint image data was captured by a first fingerprint sensor of a device or a second fingerprint sensor of the device, wherein the second fingerprint sensor produces lower quality fingerprint image data relative to the first fingerprint sensor;
based on a determination that the fingerprint image data was captured by the second fingerprint sensor of the device, obtaining, by the control system, an enhanced version of the fingerprint image data; and
providing, by the control system, the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data for authentication.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein the device is a foldable display device having a sub panel comprising the first fingerprint sensor and a main panel comprising the second fingerprint sensor.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 17 , wherein, prior to obtaining the enhanced version of the fingerprint image data, a determination is made that the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor fails to satisfy a quality threshold.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 19 , wherein satisfaction of the quality threshold is determined based on whether the fingerprint image data captured by the second fingerprint sensor is authenticated by a matching process.

Assignees

• Qualcomm Inc

Inventors

• Xu Changting
• Chan Kwokleung
• Strohmann Jessica Liu
• Hsu Wei-En
• Gu Jin
• Chung Chuenwen

Classifications

• G06V40/13

  Sensors therefor · CPC title

• G06V40/1365 Primary

  Matching; Classification · CPC title

• G06V40/12

  Fingerprints or palmprints · CPC title

• G06V10/82

  using neural networks · CPC title

• G06V10/993

  Evaluation of the quality of the acquired pattern · CPC title