Fingerprint reading device and fingerprint reading method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020311368-A1
Application number	US-201816313743-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 20, 2018
Priority date	Jul 26, 2017
Publication date	Oct 1, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Provided are a fingerprint reading device and a fingerprint reading method that can appropriately read a fingerprint even when reading a fingerprint of a relatively soft finger that may be easily subjected to significant elastic deformation. The fingerprint reading device includes: a placement portion on which a finger is placed, provided with a reading face so as to be able to move between first and second positions; a drive unit that causes the reading face to move between the first and second positions; and a reading unit that reads a fingerprint when the reading face is positioned at the first position, the drive unit causes the reading face to move to the second position and further move from the second position to the first position, and the reading unit reads a fingerprint when the reading face has moved from the second position to the first position.

First claim

1 . A fingerprint reading device comprising:
a placement portion on which a finger is placed; a reading face provided on the placement portion so as to be able to move between a first position where the finger placed on the placement portion comes into contact with the reading face and a second position where the finger placed on the placement portion separates from the reading face; a drive unit that causes the reading face to move between the first position and the second position; and a reading unit that reads a fingerprint of the finger in contact with the reading face positioned at the first position, wherein the drive unit causes the reading face in contact with the finger at the first position to move to the second position and further move from the second position to the first position, and wherein the reading unit reads a fingerprint of the finger in contact with the reading face that has moved from the second position to the first position.

2 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 1 , wherein the drive unit causes the reading face to move between the first position and the second position by swinging or parallelly shifting the reading face.

3 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 2 ,
wherein the reading face is provided so as to be able to swing about a rocking shaft as a fulcrum that is located at a front end part of the placement portion and extends in a width direction of the placement portion, and wherein the drive unit causes the reading face to move between the first position and the second position by swinging the reading face.

4 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 1 further comprising a pair of light sources provided on the placement portion and configured to irradiate the finger placed on the placement portion with lights,
wherein the reading unit captures and reads the fingerprint by using lights scattered inside the finger and emitted from a surface of the finger.

5 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 4 , wherein the pair of light sources are inclined inward above the reading face positioned at the first position.

6 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 4 , wherein the pair of light sources are provided on both sides of ends of the reading face that are opposed in a width direction of the placement portion, and each of the pair of light sources has a light guiding part formed extending in a front-rear direction of the placement portion.

7 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 6 , wherein the light guiding part is formed to extend up to above the end of the reading face and configured to be able to support the finger placed on the placement portion.

8 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 6 ,
wherein each of the pair of light sources has a plurality of unit light sources arranged extending in the front-rear direction of the placement portion, and wherein the light guiding part is formed to cover the plurality of unit light sources.

9 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 8 , wherein the light guiding part has
a protrusion part covering the plurality of unit light sources, and an edge part formed integrally with the protrusion part on the reading face side of the protrusion part and having a lower height in a perpendicular direction of the placement portion than the protrusion part.

10 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 9 , wherein the edge part and a part of the protrusion part are located over the end of the reading face.

11 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 9 , wherein a part of the edge part is located over the end of the reading face.

12 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 9 , wherein a width of the edge part located over the end of the reading face is wider toward a front side of the placement portion.

13 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the edge part of the light guiding part for one of the pair of light sources and the edge part of the light guiding part for the other of the pair of light sources are formed to be continuous to each other above the reading face, and wherein an opening that exposes the reading face is formed in the edge parts.

14 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 7 further comprising a light shielding part formed on an underside of the light guiding part in a portion located on the end of the reading face.

15 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 1 further comprising:
a determination unit that determines a quality of a fingerprint image of the fingerprint read by the reading unit; and
a control unit that controls an operation of the drive unit and the reading unit based on a determination result of the quality determined by the determination unit.

16 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 1 , wherein, in response to detection of contact of the finger with the reading face at the first position, the drive unit causes the reading face to move from the first position toward the second position.

17 . The fingerprint reading device according to claim 1 , wherein, in response to detection of the finger separating from the reading face moving from the first position toward the second position, the drive unit causes the reading face to move toward the first position.

18 . A fingerprint reading method of reading a fingerprint of a finger in contact with a reading face provided on a placement portion so as to be able to move between a first position where the finger placed on the placement portion comes into contact with the reading face and a second position where the finger placed on the placement portion separates from the reading face, the fingerprint reading method comprising:
placing the finger on the placement portion in which the reading face is positioned at the first position; causing the reading face in contact with the finger at the first position to move to the second position and further move from the second position to the first position; and reading a fingerprint of the finger in contact with the reading face that has moved from the second position to the first position.

Assignees

• Nec Corp

Inventors

• Koda Yoshinori
• Higuchi Teruyuki

Classifications

• A61B5/1172 Primary

  using fingerprinting · CPC title

• G06V40/1341

  Sensing with light passing through the finger · CPC title

• G06V40/1318 Primary

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

• G06V40/1329

  Protecting the fingerprint sensor against damage caused by the finger · CPC title

• G06V40/1335

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