Capacitance detecting circuit and method, and fingerprint sensor using the same

Abstract

In a capacitance detecting circuit, changes in capacitances at intersections between a plurality of column lines and a row line are detected as voltages. The capacitance detecting circuit includes a code generator for generating code having orthogonality in chronological order. A column-line driver drives the plurality of column lines based on the code by dividing the column lines into a first column line group and a second column line group. A capacitance detector, which is connected to the row line, converts the total of currents generated in capacitances at the intersections with the driven column lines into a voltage signal and outputs the converted voltage signal. A decoding computation unit determines the voltages corresponding to the capacitances at the intersections for each of the column line groups by performing product sum computation between the measured voltages and the code. In a period for detecting the capacitances, the column-line driver drives the first column line group and the second column line group by complementary voltages according to the code or information indicating the inversion of the code.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a capacitance detecting circuit and method for detecting a very small capacitance, and also to a fingerprint sensor using the same. [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] As a known fingerprint sensor, which is considered to be most promising in biometrics techniques, the following type of pressure-sensitive capacitance sensor has been developed. Row lines and column lines are formed at predetermined intervals on the surfaces of two films, and the two films are disposed with a predetermined gap therebetween such that they face each other with an insulating film therebetween. [0005] In this pressure-sensitive capacitance sensor, when a finger is placed on the sensor, the shape of the films are changed according to the ridges and valleys of the fingerprint, and accordingly, the intervals between the row lines and the column lines are changed. Thus, the shape of the fingerprint...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019] Accordingly, in view of the above-described background, it is an object of the present invention to provide a capacitance detecting circuit and method in which the influence of external disturbance noise can be suppressed to improve the S / N ratio so that very small capacitances Cs and capacitance changes ΔCs of the capacitances Cs at intersections (sensor devices) between row lines and column lines can be detected at a sufficient sensitivity level, and also to provide a fingerprint sensor using the above-described capacitance detecting circuit and method.

Problems solved by technology

Thus, in the capacitor detecting circuits, conducted noise transmitted to the capacitor sensor via a power supply or a human body is superposed on signals in the row lines and the column lines, thereby making it difficult to precisely detect a capacitance change due to this external disturbance noise.

In inverted fluorescent light, which is mainly used as current fluorescent light, a fluorescent lamp is switched ON by generating high frequencies by using semiconductors, causing noise having a fundamental frequency at a several dozens of KHz range.

Thus, when using a fingerprint sensor, if a device including a noise source having a frequency close to the sampling frequency of the capacitor detecting circuit, for example, the above-described inverted fluorescent light, is placed near the user, or if the fingerprint sensor is connected to a device having an inverter circuit used in backlight of a liquid crystal device, external disturbance noise caused by the above-described beat components cannot be completely eliminated.

Accordingly, the signal-to-noise (S / N) ratio for detecting capacitance changes is reduced, thereby making it difficult to precisely read the fingerprint of the user.

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