IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,423,286
Granted Patent B1
US 10,423,286 · App. 15/916,610 · Granted Sep 24, 2019

Circuit for fingerprint sensing and electronic device comprising the circuit

Inventor: Shih-Song Cheng (Kaohsiung, TW)
Assignee: INT TECH CO., LTD.
G06F3/044G06F3/0416G06K9/0002H01L27/0629G06F3/0412
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,423,286
App. No.
15/916,610
Granted
Sep 24, 2019
Kind
B1
Abstract

A circuit for fingerprint detection is disclosed. The circuit includes a transistor and a capacitor. The transistor includes a gate configured to, in response to a touch event of an object, sense a capacitance associated with the object. The capacitor, coupled between a first node and a second node, is configured to establish a voltage across the first node and the second node in response to a first control signal, and establish a compensation voltage at the first node in response to a second control signal. The transistor is configured to flow a current therethrough in response to a third control signal. The current has a magnitude independent of the threshold voltage of the transistor due to the compensation voltage.

Claims (144)

1. A circuit, comprising:

a transistor including a gate configured to, in response to a touch event of an object, sense a capacitance associated with the object; and

a capacitor, coupled between a first node and a second node, the first node coupled to the gate of the transistor, the capacitor configured to establish a voltage across the first node and the second node in response to a first control signal, the voltage equal to a threshold voltage of the transistor, and establish a compensation voltage at the first node in response to a second control signal,

wherein the transistor is configured to flow a current therethrough in response to a third control signal, the current having a magnitude independent of the threshold voltage of the transistor due to the compensation voltage.

2. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the transistor includes a first terminal configured to receive a supply voltage, and the compensation voltage equals to the supply voltage minus the threshold voltage of the transistor.

3. The circuit according to claim 2 , wherein the magnitude of the current is zero.

4. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a first transistor including a gate to receive the third control signal, a first terminal to receive a reference voltage, and a second terminal coupled to the second node of the capacitor.

5. The circuit according to claim 4 , wherein the transistor includes a first terminal configured to receive a supply voltage, and a difference made in a voltage at the first node in response to the third control signal is expressed as:

Δ

⁢

⁢

V

⁢

⁢

A

=

(

VDD

-

Vref

)

×

[

Cfinger

C

⁢

⁢

1

+

C

⁢

⁢

finger

]

where ΔVA represents the difference made in the voltage at the first node, VDD represents the supply voltage, Vref represents the reference voltage, C 1 represents a capacitance of the capacitor, and Cfinger represents the capacitance associated with the object.

6. The circuit according to claim 5 , wherein a difference made in the current in response to the third control signal is positively proportional to the ΔVA squared and is expressed as:

Δ

⁢

⁢

Ids

⁢

⁢

3

∝

[

(

VDD

-

Vref

)

×

(

Cfinger

C

⁢

⁢

1

+

C

⁢

⁢

finger

)

]

2

where Δ|Ids 3 | represents the difference made in the current.

7. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the transistor includes a first terminal configured to receive a supply voltage, further comprising a second transistor including a gate to receive the third control signal, a first terminal coupled to a second terminal of the transistor, and a second terminal to output the current flowing through the transistor.

8. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a fourth transistor including a gate to receive the first control signal, a first terminal to receive a supply voltage, and a second terminal coupled to the first node.

9. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a fifth transistor including a gate to receive the first control signal, a first terminal to receive the second control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second node.

10. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a sixth transistor including a gate to receive the second control signal, a first terminal to receive a supply voltage, and a second terminal coupled to the second node.

11. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a sixth transistor including a gate to receive the second control signal, a first terminal to receive the first control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second node.

12. The circuit according to claim 1 further comprising a sixth transistor including a gate to receive the second control signal, a first terminal to receive the third control signal, and a second terminal coupled to the second node.

13. The circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the transistor includes a first terminal configured to receive a supply voltage, further comprising a seventh transistor including a gate to receive the second control signal, a first terminal coupled to the first node, and a second terminal coupled to a second terminal of the transistor.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

an array of sensor units, each of the sensor units comprising:

a transistor including a gate configured to, in response to a touch event of an object, sense a capacitance associated with the object, and

a capacitor, coupled between a first node and a second node, the first node coupled to the gate of the transistor, the capacitor configured to establish a voltage across the first node and the second node in response to a first control signal, the voltage equal to a threshold voltage of the transistor, and establish a compensation voltage at the first node in response to a second control signal,

wherein the transistor is configured to flow a current therethrough in response to a third control signal, the current having a magnitude independent of the threshold voltage of the transistor due to the compensation voltage.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14 , wherein the transistor includes a first terminal configured to receive a supply voltage, and the compensation voltage equals to the supply voltage minus the threshold voltage of the transistor.

16. The electronic device according to claim 15 , wherein the magnitude of the current is zero.

17. The electronic device according to claim 14 further comprising a first transistor including a gate to receive the third control signal, a first terminal to receive a reference voltage, and a second terminal coupled to the second node of the capacitor.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17 , wherein the transistor includes a first terminal configured to receive a supply voltage, and a difference made in a voltage at the first node in response to the third control signal is expressed as:

Δ

⁢

⁢

V

⁢

⁢

A

=

(

VDD

-

Vref

)

×

[

Cfinger

C

⁢

⁢

1

+

C

⁢

⁢

finger

]

where ΔVA represents the difference made in the voltage at the first node, VDD represents the supply voltage, Vref represents the reference voltage, C 1 represents a capacitance of the capacitor, and Cfinger represents the capacitance associated with the object.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18 , wherein a difference made in the current in response to the third control signal is positively proportional to the ΔVA squared and is expressed as:

Δ

⁢

⁢

Ids

⁢

⁢

3

∝

[

(

VDD

-

Vref

)

×

(

Cfinger

C

⁢

⁢

1

+

C

⁢

⁢

finger

)

]

2

where Δ|Ids 3 | represents the difference made in the current.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2018
From: CHENG, SHIH-SONG
To: INT TECH CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 045157/0843 →