Thermoelectric sensor for fingerprint thermal imaging
US7406185B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 16, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jul 29, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 27, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J5/12
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention provides a fingerprint sensing mechanism using a two-dimensional thermoelectric sensor array to capture the thermal image related to the ridges and valleys on the finger, wherein its fabricating method is totally compatible with integrated circuits processing. Using the body temperature of a human being as the stimulation source for biometrics, a temperature difference is produced from a ridge of a fingerprint contacting the thermoelectric sensor and the temperature gradient is converted into an electrical signal. A plurality of thermoelectric sensors arranged in a two-dimensional array forms a fingerprint sensor so as to obtain the electrical signal output of the ridge profile of the fingerprint.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.