Granted Patent B2

US 12,321,560 · App. 18/487,315 · Granted Jun 3, 2025

Inventors: Daniel Keith Van Ostrand (Leander, TX); Michael Shawn Gray (Elgin, TX); Patrick Troy Gray (Cedar Park, TX); Richard Stuart Seger, Jr. (Belton, TX)

Assignee: SigmaSense, LLC.

G06F3/0446G06F3/0412G06F3/04166G06F3/04182G06V40/1306G06V40/1365

Abstract

Claims (76)

1. A device comprising:

a plurality of column electrodes;

a plurality of row electrodes, wherein the plurality of row electrodes and the plurality of column electrodes are separated by a dielectric material and arranged in a crossing pattern in a sensing area of the device;

a first plurality of drive-sense circuits coupled to the plurality of column electrodes, each of the first plurality of drive-sense circuits configured to:

drive a sensor signal on at least one column electrode of the plurality of column electrodes, the sensor signal including a drive signal component and a receive signal component; and

generate, based on the receive signal component, a sensed signal representative of:

a first impedance of the at least one column electrode in accordance with a first frequency of the drive signal component; and

a second impedance of the at least one column electrode in accordance with a second frequency of a drive signal component from a differing electrode;

a second plurality of drive-sense circuits coupled to the plurality of row electrodes, each of the second plurality of drive-sense circuits configured to:

drive a sensor signal on at least one row electrode of the plurality of row electrodes, the sensor signal including a drive signal component and a receive signal component; and

generate, based on the receive signal component, a sensed signal representative of an impedance of the at least one row electrode; and

a processing module configured to process sensed signals generated by the first plurality of drive-sense circuits and second plurality of drive-sense circuits to:

detect a finger touch to the sensing area; and

generate a digital representation of a fingerprint corresponding to the finger touch.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a switch network configurable to:

couple the first plurality of drive-sense circuits to the plurality of column electrodes; and

couple the second plurality of drive-sense circuits to the plurality of row electrodes.

3. The device of claim 2 , wherein the processing module is further configured to process the sensed signals to:

detect a proximal touch to the sensing area; and

in response to detecting the proximal touch, control the switch network to adjust a touch resolution of the sensing area.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the sensed signal representative of the first impedance of the at least one column electrode is indicative of a change in self-capacitance.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the sensed signal representative of the second impedance of the at least one column electrode is indicative of a change in mutual capacitance.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the processing module is further configured to extract fingerprint minutia data from the digital representation of the fingerprint.

7. The device of claim 6 , wherein the processing module is further configured to:

retrieve a stored fingerprint template including stored minutia data; and

compare the fingerprint minutia data to the stored minutia data to determine if the fingerprint matches the stored fingerprint template.

8. The device of claim 6 , wherein the processing module is further configured to quantize the fingerprint minutia data.

9. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:

digital filtering circuitry coupled between the processing module and the first plurality of drive-sense circuits and second plurality of drive-sense circuits, the digital filtering circuitry configured to filter the sensed signals generated by the drive-sense circuits for processing by the processing module; and

reference signal circuitry coupled to the first plurality of drive-sense circuits and second plurality of drive-sense circuits, wherein the processing module is further configured to generate control signals to enable the reference signal circuitry to provide reference signals to first plurality of drive-sense circuits and second plurality of drive-sense circuits.

10. A device comprising:

a first plurality of electrodes;

a second plurality of electrodes, wherein the first plurality of electrodes has a first orientation and the second plurality of electrodes has a second orientation, and wherein the first orientation and the second orientation form a sensing area of the device;

a plurality of drive-sense circuits, each of the drive-sense circuits configured, when enabled, to:

drive a sensor signal on an electrode of the first plurality of electrodes or the second plurality of electrodes, the sensor signal including a drive signal component and a receive signal component; and

generate, based on the receive signal component, a sensed signal representative of at least one impedance of the electrode, wherein receive signal components of the sensor signals that correspond to electrodes of the first plurality of electrodes include:

a first frequency component corresponding to a frequency of the drive signal component; and

a second frequency component corresponding to a frequency of a drive signal component from a differing electrode; and

a processing module configured to process sensed signals generated by the plurality of drive-sense circuits to:

detect a finger touch to the sensing area; and

generate a capacitive image of at least a partial fingerprint corresponding to the finger touch.

11. The device of claim 10 , further comprising:

a switch network configurable to couple the plurality of drive-sense circuits to the first plurality of electrodes and the second plurality of electrodes, wherein the processing module is further configured to process the sensed signals to:

detect a proximal touch to the sensing area; and

in response to detecting the proximal touch, control the switch network to adjust a touch resolution of the sensing area.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the first frequency component is representative of a change in self-capacitance.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the second frequency component is representative of a change in mutual capacitance.

14. The device of claim 10 , wherein the processing module is further configured to extract fingerprint minutia data from the capacitive image of the at least a partial fingerprint.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the processing module is further configured to:

retrieve a stored fingerprint template including stored minutia data; and

compare the fingerprint minutia data to the stored minutia data to determine if the capacitive image of the at least a partial fingerprint matches the stored fingerprint template.

16. The device of claim 10 , further comprising:

digital filtering circuitry coupled between the plurality of drive-sense circuits and the processing module, the digital filtering circuitry configured to filter the sensed signals generated by the plurality of drive-sense circuits for processing by the processing module; and

reference signal circuitry coupled to the plurality of drive-sense circuits, wherein the processing module is further configured to generate control signals to enable the reference signal circuitry to provide reference signals to the plurality of drive-sense circuits.

17. A device comprising:

a display configured to display images in a display area;

a first plurality of electrodes integrated into the display area;

a second plurality of electrodes integrated into the display area, wherein the first plurality of electrodes and the second plurality of electrodes are arranged in a crossing pattern to form a sensing area of the display area;

a plurality of drive-sense circuits, each of the drive-sense circuits configured to:

drive a sensor signal on an electrode of the first plurality of electrodes or the second plurality of electrodes, the sensor signal including a drive signal component and a receive signal component, wherein a drive signal component of the sensor signals driven to electrodes of the first plurality of electrodes include a first frequency component and a second frequency component, and wherein a drive signal component of the sensor signals driven to electrodes of the second plurality of electrodes includes the first frequency component; and

generate, based on the receive signal component, a sensed signal representative of at least one impedance of the electrode; and

a processing module configured to process sensed signals generated by the plurality of drive-sense circuits to:

detect a finger touch to the sensing area; and

generate a fingerprint capacitive image corresponding to the finger touch.

18. The device of claim 17 , further comprising:

a switch network configurable to couple the plurality of drive-sense circuits to the first plurality of electrodes and the second plurality of electrodes, wherein the processing module is further configured to process the sensed signals to:

detect a proximal touch to the sensing area; and

in response to detecting the proximal touch, control the switch network to adjust a touch resolution of the sensing area.

19. The device of claim 17 , wherein a sensed signal corresponding to an electrode of the second plurality of electrodes includes a representation of:

a representation of a first impedance in accordance with the first frequency component, wherein the representation of the first impedance is indicative of a change in self-capacitance of the electrode of the second plurality of electrodes; and

a representation of a second impedance in accordance with the second frequency component, wherein the representation of the second impedance is indicative of a change in mutual capacitance between the electrode of the second plurality of electrodes and an electrode of the first plurality of electrodes.

20. The device of claim 17 , wherein the processing module is further configured to:

extract fingerprint minutia data from the fingerprint capacitive image;

retrieve a stored fingerprint template including stored minutia data; and

compare the fingerprint minutia data to the stored minutia data to determine a number of matches.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (42)