Electronic device capable of recognizing fingerprint and method of driving electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device is disclosed, comprising: a touch recognition unit; a display unit that receives a signal from the touch recognition unit; a fingerprint recognition unit that receives a signal from the display unit; and a processor, the processor being configured to send signals to the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit, and receive signals from the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit. When the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit are enabled, the processor may remain disabled. When a fingerprint input included in the touch input and consistent with a preset user fingerprint input is provided, the processor is enabled. A method for driving an electronic device is also provided.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0178521, filed on December 22, 2017, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of the inventive concept relate to an electronic device capable of recognizing a fingerprint and a method of driving the electronic device. Background Art

[0004] Fingerprint recognition technology is widely used in mobile terminals such as smart phones, tablet computers, and notebooks. In particular, electronic devices whose security is enhanced by integrating a fingerprint recognition unit in addition to a unit for sensing a touch input of a user of the electronic device capable of displaying an image have been proposed.

[0005] However, compared to many operations performed by the mobile terminal, the fingerprint recognition unit consumes relatively more power to operate. Since the mobile terminal is mainly powered by a battery, the operation of the fingerprint recognition unit may significantly shorten the time period during which the mobile terminal can operate if the battery of the mobile terminal is not recharged. Summary of the invention

[0006] Embodiments of the inventive concept provide an electronic device that minimizes power consumption during operation and has a fingerprint recognition function.

[0007] Another embodiment of the inventive concept provides a method of driving an electronic device that minimizes power consumption during operation and has a fingerprint recognition function.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device includes: a touch recognition unit configured to detect a touch input; a display unit configured to receive a first signal from the touch recognition unit when the touch recognition unit detects the touch input; a fingerprint recognition unit configured to receive a second signal from the display unit; and a processor configured to send a signal to one or more of the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit, and receive a signal from one or more of the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit. When a fingerprint input included in the touch input and consistent with a preset user fingerprint input is provided, the processor enters an enabled state.

[0009] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a method of driving an electronic device, the method comprising: sensing a touch input through a touch recognition unit; enabling a display unit through the touch recognition unit when the touch input is sensed; enabling a fingerprint recognition unit through the display unit when the display unit is enabled; and enabling a processor according to a determination result of the fingerprint recognition unit.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the fingerprint recognition unit determines whether a fingerprint input included in the touch input substantially consistent with a predetermined threshold range of a preset user fingerprint input is provided to a fingerprint recognition area for sensing a user's fingerprint recognition.

[0011] However, the embodiments of the inventive concept are not limited to the descriptions set forth herein. The above and other embodiments of the inventive concept will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments of the inventive concept pertain by referring to the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Those skilled in the art will better understand the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0013] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept;

[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept shown in FIG.

[0015] Figure 3 Is shown driving according to Figure 1 A flowchart of a method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] In the following description, for the purpose of illustration, various details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the exemplary embodiments may be implemented without these specific details or with one or more equivalent arrangements. In other cases, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid unnecessarily confusing the understanding of the various exemplary embodiments of the present invention by the skilled person.

[0017] In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers, films, panels, regions, etc. may be exaggerated for clarity and descriptive purposes. Additionally, the same reference numerals denote the same elements.

[0018] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on", "connected to" or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, connected to or coupled to the other element or layer, or there may be an intervening element or layer. However, when an element or layer is referred to as being "directly" "on", "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there is no intervening element or layer. For the purposes of this disclosure, "at least one of X, Y and Z" and "at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y and Z" may be interpreted as only X, only Y, only Z, or any combination of two or more of X, Y and Z, for example, such as XYZ, XYY, YZ and ZZ. The same reference numerals represent the same element throughout. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items.

[0019] Although the terms first, second, etc. can be used in this article to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or cross-sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or cross-sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer and / or cross-section from another element, component, region, layer and / or cross-section. Therefore, without departing from the teaching of the present disclosure, the first element, component, region, layer and / or cross-section discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer and / or cross-section.

[0020] Spatially relative terms, such as "below," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used herein for descriptive purposes, and therefore may be used to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as shown in the accompanying drawings. In addition to the orientations depicted in the accompanying drawings, spatially relative terms are also intended to cover different orientations of the device in use, operation, and / or manufacture. For example, if the device in the accompanying drawings is flipped, an element described as being "below" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented "above" the other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "below" may cover both above and below orientations. In addition, the device may have other orientations (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and as such, the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0021] The terms used herein are used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, as used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms. In addition, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", and / or "including" when used in this specification specify the presence of the features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof set forth, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0022] Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views as schematic diagrams of idealized exemplary embodiments and / or intermediate structures. Deviations from the illustrated shapes due to, for example, manufacturing methods and / or tolerances are conceivable. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific illustrated regional shapes or the relative sizes of the items in the drawings. Therefore, there may be deviations in the regional shapes caused by, for example, manufacturing techniques. For example, an implanted region shown as a rectangle may have rounded or curved features and / or have a gradient of implant concentration at its edges, rather than a binary change from an implanted region to a non-implanted region. Similarly, a buried region formed by implantation may cause certain implants in the region between the buried region and the surface through which the implantation is performed. Therefore, the regions shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of the region of the device and are not intended to be limiting.

[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined herein.

[0024] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the inventive concept.

[0026] Figure 1 The electronic device 1000 shown in FIG. 1 includes a display area DA and a fingerprint recognition area SA.

[0027] The display area DA is an area where the electronic device 1000 displays an image, and a display panel corresponding to the display area DA is disposed on the display area DA. The display panel may be, for example, an organic light emitting display panel or a liquid crystal display panel. However, any kind of display panel may be provided.

[0028] The display area DA may have a function of sensing the user's touch. For example, a touch sensing unit (described below) may determine whether a user's touch input on the display area DA is sensed, and may determine the position on the display area DA where the user's touch input is received. The touch sensing unit may sense the user's touch in the display area DA in various ways. For example, the sensing of touch may be implemented in an electrostatic manner. For example, the touch sensing unit may determine whether the user inputs a touch to the display area DA based on a change in capacitance between sensing electrodes due to a user's touch input. It should be understood that, especially for capacitive touch sensing, it is not necessary to actually contact the display area DA. For example, "near touch" is also feasible, in which the user places their finger or stylus within a proximity close enough to the display area DA to cause a change in capacitance between sensing electrodes. In another example, the sensing of touch may be implemented in a pressure-sensitive manner. For example, the touch sensing unit may use a piezoelectric sensor to determine whether the user inputs a touch based on a change in pressure caused by a user's touch input. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand and appreciate that other types of touch sensing units may be used. For example, surface acoustic wave (SAW), resistive and infrared touch technologies are some non-limiting examples of the types of touch sensing that can be implemented in the display area DA. The fingerprint recognition area SA may be set in any area within the display area DA. In addition to the function of sensing the user's touch input, the fingerprint recognition area SA can also determine whether the user's touch input is a fingerprint input. However, since the fingerprint recognition function may not remain enabled during normal operation of the mobile terminal due to battery depletion, it may be difficult to determine whether the user's touch area corresponds to the fingerprint recognition area SA. Therefore, when the fingerprint recognition function is not enabled, or when the device is operating in a power saving mode, the fingerprint recognition area SA can function as a part of the display area DA to display an image.

[0029] The fingerprint recognition area SA may be integrated with the display panel and may be disposed on the display panel. However, embodiments of the inventive concept are not limited thereto, and the fingerprint recognition area SA may be formed by adding a specific module to the display panel.

[0030] In the operation method, an optical sensor may be used to determine whether a user's touch input provided to the fingerprint recognition area SA is a fingerprint input. For example, a separate optical sensor may be additionally provided on the display panel to determine whether the user's touch input is a fingerprint input by using light emitted from the display panel. Alternatively, in the method of determining whether the user's touch input is a fingerprint input, different from the use of an optical sensor, the touch sensing unit may recognize an ultra-fine pattern constituting the user's fingerprint, thereby determining whether the user's touch input is a fingerprint input.

[0031] Although the embodiments of the present invention are described and described in Figure 1 The fingerprint identification area SA is shown as an area within the display area DA, but those skilled in the art should understand that the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to Figure 1 For example, the fingerprint identification area SA may be arranged to have the same shape and size as the display area DA, may be larger than the display area DA, or may be provided separately in addition to the display area DA. In addition, it is possible that there may be a fingerprint identification area arranged along the side or back of the mobile terminal (e.g., adjacent to the camera lens).

[0032] Although the electronic device 1000 is shown to include the display area DA and the fingerprint recognition area SA in this embodiment of the inventive concept, such a configuration is a simplified configuration, and the electronic device 1000 may further include other components. For example, a button for controlling the electronic device 1000, a speaker for outputting the sound of the electronic device 1000, a connection terminal for connecting to another device, a camera lens for taking a selfie, etc. may be additionally provided.

[0033] Figure 2 For example Figure 1 A block diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] refer to Figure 2 , the electronic device 1000 includes, for example, a processor 100 , a touch recognition unit 200 , a display unit 300 , and a fingerprint recognition unit 400 .

[0035] The processor 100 plays a role in controlling the overall functions of the electronic device 1000. For example, the processor 100 may provide the display unit 300 with information related to an image provided to the display area DA, and may control communication with other electronic devices.

[0036] Processor 100 may be implemented as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, advanced reduced instruction set computers (RISC) machines (e.g., ARM-based processors), or other electronic components.

[0037] In this embodiment of the present invention, the processor 100 may remain in sleep mode until a preset user fingerprint input is provided. For example, the processor 100 may be enabled by a preset user fingerprint input, and thereby the operation mode is changed from sleep mode to enable mode. When the preset user fingerprint input is not provided, the processor 100 may not be enabled. In the case where the processor 100 remains in sleep mode, the power consumption caused by the processor 100 does not occur or is minimized compared to the enable mode, so that the power consumption of the electronic device 1000 can be minimized.

[0038] Specifically, even if a preset user fingerprint input is provided, the processor 100 may remain in sleep mode until the preset user fingerprint input is recognized. Therefore, even if the touch recognition unit 200, the fingerprint recognition unit 400, and the display unit 300 are enabled by an inappropriate touch input of the user, as long as the preset user fingerprint input is not recognized, the processor 100 that consumes the most power remains in sleep mode, so that the power consumption of the electronic device 1000 can be minimized. In other words, the touch recognition unit 200 and / or the fingerprint recognition unit 400 can operate while the processor 100 remains in sleep mode. For example, if the touch recognition unit 200 is a microcontroller, it uses less power than the processor 100. When the electronic device 1000 is driven by a battery, the use time of the electronic device 1000 between recharging operations can be increased.

[0039] The processor 100 may be respectively connected to the touch recognition unit 200, the display unit 300, and the fingerprint recognition unit 400. Therefore, after the processor 100 is enabled by a preset user fingerprint input, the touch recognition unit 200, the display unit 300, and the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may be controlled by a command of the processor 100 and may perform various functions.

[0040] The touch recognition unit 200 senses the user's touch input. For example, the touch recognition unit 200 includes a touch panel and a touch control unit (not shown), senses whether the external force applied to the touch panel is the user's touch input by using the touch panel and the touch control unit, and determines the position of the user's touch input on the touch panel.

[0041] Although not shown in the drawings, the touch panel may be installed to correspond to the display area DA, and in some embodiments of the present inventive concept, the touch panel may be formed to be integrated with the display panel.

[0042] The touch control unit determines whether the external force applied to the touch panel is indeed a user's touch input by using the information received from the touch panel, and determines to which position the user's touch input is provided if the user's touch input is provided. The touch control unit can be implemented as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, ARM-based processors, or other electronic devices.

[0043] Even when the processor 100 is in, for example, a sleep mode, the touch recognition unit 200 may also remain in an enabled mode to identify the user's touch input. For example, the touch recognition unit 200 may be operated by periodic polling in the enabled mode. Alternatively, the touch recognition unit 200 may be interrupt driven. For example, there may be voice activation, for example, in voice activation, the sound transmitted to the speaker of the mobile terminal may enable the touch recognition unit 200. Of course, although driving the touch recognition unit 200 consumes power, the amount of power used to drive the touch recognition unit 200 is much less than the amount of power used to drive the processor 100, so that power can be used effectively. In addition, the touch recognition unit 200 may be configured to be downclocked, for example, operating at a relatively low clock speed until the user's touch input is provided, thereby minimizing power consumption. For example, after a certain period of time when the touch recognition unit 200 is not touched, the clock speed may be reduced.

[0044] When the touch recognition unit 200 senses the user's touch input, the touch recognition unit 200 may enable the display unit 300 and may be driven to determine the position where the user's touch input is applied. To this end, the touch recognition unit 200 and the display unit 300 may be electrically connected to each other to transmit signals. More specifically, when each of the components for processing the signals of the touch recognition unit 200 and the display unit 300 is implemented in the form of a chip, one of the input port and output port of the chip constituting the touch recognition unit 200 may be electrically connected to one of the input port and output port of the chip constituting the display unit 300 through a common transmission line for signals or power (e.g., through a bus).

[0045] The display unit 300 displays an image on the display area DA. More specifically, the display unit 300 includes a display panel and a display control unit (not shown), and can display the image using information about the image received from the processor 100. However, in this embodiment of the present invention, even when the processor 100 is not in the activation mode, the display unit 300 can receive a signal from the touch recognition unit 200 to display a preset image. Here, the preset image displayed by the signal received from the touch recognition unit 200 is an image for fingerprint recognition, which is mainly displayed in the fingerprint recognition area SA in the display area DA (see Figure 1 )superior.

[0046] Although not shown in the drawings, as described above, the display panel may be installed to correspond to the display area DA, and in some embodiments of the present inventive concept, the display panel may be formed to be integrated with the touch panel.

[0047] The display control unit displays an image on the display area DA using information received from the processor 100 , or displays a preset image on the display area DA and the fingerprint recognition area SA by allowing the display control unit to be enabled by the touch recognition unit 200 .

[0048] As described above, when the fingerprint recognition of the electronic device 1000 is implemented by the optical sensor, the display unit 300 may display an image having brightness sufficient to be recognized by the optical sensor on the fingerprint recognition area SA.

[0049] The display control unit may be implemented as one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, ARM-based processors, or other electronic devices.

[0050] As long as the enable signal is not received, the display unit 300 may maintain the sleep mode. However, when the touch recognition unit 200 instructs the activation of the display unit 300, for example, by transmitting an enable signal, the sleep mode may be terminated and the operation of the enable mode may start.

[0051] In addition, after the display unit 300 is enabled by the touch recognition unit 200, in addition to the operation of displaying a preset image, the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may be enabled. To this end, the display unit 300 and the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may be electrically connected to each other to transmit signals. For example, when each of the components for processing signals of the display unit 300 and the fingerprint recognition unit 400 is implemented in a chip form, one of the input port and the output port of the chip constituting the display unit 300 may be electrically connected to one of the input port and the output port constituting the fingerprint recognition unit 400 through a common transmission line for signals or power (e.g., through a bus).

[0052] The fingerprint recognition unit 400 determines whether the user's touch input provided to the fingerprint recognition area SA is a fingerprint input, and if the user's touch input is a fingerprint input, determines whether the fingerprint input matches a preset user fingerprint input. For example, the fingerprint recognition unit 400 includes a fingerprint recognition panel and a fingerprint recognition control unit (neither of which is shown). Although not shown in the drawings, the fingerprint recognition panel may be installed to be aligned with the fingerprint recognition area SA (see, for example, FIG. Figure 1 ), and in some embodiments of the present invention, the fingerprint recognition panel may be formed to be integrated with the display panel.

[0053] The fingerprint recognition control unit determines whether the external force applied to the fingerprint recognition panel is a preset user fingerprint input by using information received from the fingerprint recognition panel.

[0054] The fingerprint recognition control unit can be implemented as one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, ARM-based processors, or other electronic components.

[0055] According to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may maintain the sleep mode as long as there is no specific signal such as an activation signal. However, when the display unit 300 indicates activation of the fingerprint recognition unit 400, the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may switch from the sleep mode to the activation mode.

[0056] Furthermore, when the user's fingerprint input provided to the fingerprint recognition panel is substantially consistent with a preset user fingerprint input (eg, within a predetermined threshold or percentage), the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may enable the processor 100 .

[0057] Hereinafter, a driving method of the electronic device 1000 for minimizing power consumption will be described.

[0058] Figure 3 Is shown driving according to Figure 1A flowchart of a method of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] refer to Figure 3 , at operation S10, it is determined whether the user's touch input is provided to the display area DA. For example, the touch recognition unit 200 may determine whether the user's touch input is provided. The processor 100, the display unit 300, and the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may remain in sleep mode until the touch recognition unit 200 determines that the user's touch input is provided to minimize power consumption. In an embodiment of the present inventive concept, the processor 100, the display unit 300, and the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may all remain in sleep mode, or one or more of the above devices may be in sleep mode. For example, only the display unit 300 may be in sleep mode, or the processor 100 and the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may remain in sleep mode until the touch recognition unit 200 determines at operation S10 that the user's touch input has been detected.

[0060] When it is determined that the user's touch input is provided, the mode of the display unit 300 is changed from the sleep mode to the activation mode at operation S20, and a preset image is output to the display area DA.

[0061] The display unit 300 may be directly connected to the touch recognition unit 200 as described above, and may receive a signal for activation from the touch recognition unit 200. In addition, the display unit 300 may output a preset image for fingerprint recognition to the display area DA without an instruction from the processor 100. For example, when the display unit 300 is activated by the touch recognition unit 200 so that the mode of the display unit 300 is changed from the sleep mode to the activation mode, the processor 100 still maintains the sleep mode to save power and extend battery life.

[0062] Next, at operation S30, the mode of the fingerprint recognition unit 400 is changed from the sleep mode to the enable mode, and in a subsequent step, it is determined whether the user's fingerprint input provided to the fingerprint recognition area SA is substantially consistent with the preset user fingerprint input. Although the determination of the user's fingerprint input provided to the fingerprint recognition area SA can be based on whether it is consistent with the preset user fingerprint input, in some operations, this approach may be more time-consuming and may consume more power, such as when the device denies access and the user must try multiple retries before being able to access the device, because each operation will consume battery power. This is especially true. Therefore, for example, in some embodiments of the present inventive concept, pattern recognition for a certain number of preset user fingerprint inputs can provide reasonable security while better saving power consumption. For example, as a user-programmable default value, 90% of the area of ​​the user's fingerprint input that is consistent with the preset user fingerprint input may be desirable. As discussed above, substantially consistent pattern recognition can reduce retries and save energy. It should be understood and appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the example of 90% area consistency of the user's fingerprint is provided for illustrative purposes only, and the number may be larger or smaller according to the needs of the user. Additionally, some devices (eg, thin client devices) may include one or more batteries with less capacity than other mobile terminals, and this may become a factor in determining whether to seek a consistent comparison or a substantially consistent comparison of fingerprint inputs.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown in , the fingerprint recognition unit 400 is directly connected to the display unit 300 and may receive a signal for enabling from the display unit 300. In addition, when the fingerprint recognition unit 400 is enabled through the display unit 300 so that the mode of the fingerprint recognition unit 400 is changed from the sleep mode to the enabled mode, the processor 100 may remain in the sleep mode while other devices are in operation.

[0064] Next, at operation S40, it may be determined whether the user's fingerprint input is a preset user's fingerprint input.

[0065] When it is determined that the user's fingerprint input is consistent with the preset user's fingerprint input (or substantially consistent as discussed above in some embodiments of the present inventive concept), the processor 100 is enabled by the fingerprint recognition unit 400 to change from the sleep mode to the enabled mode. For example, the fingerprint recognition unit 400 may send an interrupt signal to the processor 100 so that the processor 100 enters the enabled mode, and the electronic device 1000 may be unlocked at operation S50.

[0066] For example, according to an embodiment of the inventive concept, the processor 100 is enabled only when an input consistent with a preset user fingerprint input is provided, thereby minimizing power consumption required to drive the processor 100. In another embodiment of the inventive concept, a portion of the preset user fingerprint input may be sufficient to enable the processor 100 according to a predetermined threshold.

[0067] Still reference Figure 3 When it is determined at operation S40 that the user's fingerprint input is not a preset user fingerprint input, at operation S60, the fingerprint recognition unit 400 continues to wait for the input of the fingerprint or terminates the determination process according to the time elapsed after the fingerprint recognition unit 400 is enabled. Figure 3 It is also shown in FIG. 4 that, for example, if 7 seconds have not passed after enabling the fingerprint recognition unit 400, the process may perform operation S40 again. One of ordinary skill in the art should understand and appreciate that at operation S60, embodiments of the inventive concept are not limited to 7 seconds, and the number may be greater or less.

[0068] In an embodiment of the inventive concept, additional security may be provided by a counter that limits the number of attempts to perform operation S40. After a certain number of retries, the device may enable an alarm and send a wireless signal to a server that has reached an excess number of failed attempts. In addition, when the user's fingerprint input is inconsistent (or substantially inconsistent) with a preset user fingerprint input, the display area DA may display a message. An audible message, such as a beep, may be output in addition or alternatively.

[0069] As described above, according to the embodiments of the inventive concept, an electronic device having a fingerprint recognition function and minimizing power consumption may be provided.

[0070] Furthermore, a method of driving an electronic device having a fingerprint recognition function and minimizing power consumption may be provided.

[0071] Although several embodiments of the present inventive concept have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the inventive concept as recited in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. Electronic equipment, including: a touch recognition unit configured to detect a touch input; a display unit configured to receive a first signal from the touch recognition unit when the touch recognition unit detects the touch input; a fingerprint recognition unit configured to receive a second signal from the display unit; as well as a processor configured to send signals to one or more of the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit, and receive signals from one or more of the touch recognition unit, the display unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit, wherein when a fingerprint input included in the touch input and consistent with a preset user fingerprint input is provided, the processor enters an enabled state, and The processor is further configured to maintain the sleep mode until the provided fingerprint input is recognized as being consistent with the preset fingerprint input by at least a predetermined amount.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The touch recognition unit detects whether the touch input is provided on a display area of ​​the display unit, wherein an image is displayed on the display area, and The display unit is enabled when the touch recognition unit detects that the touch input is provided on the display area.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein: The touch recognition unit includes a chip having one or more input ports and one or more output ports, and Among them, one of the input ports and one of the output ports of the chip included in the touch recognition unit is electrically connected to one of the input port and one of the output ports of the chip constituting the controller of the display unit through a bus.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein: The display unit is configured to: when the display unit is enabled by the touch recognition unit, output a preset image to the display area, and Wherein, the processor remains disabled during the period when the preset image is output.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The display unit is configured to: enable the fingerprint recognition unit when the display unit is enabled by the touch recognition unit, wherein the fingerprint recognition unit determines whether a fingerprint input included in the touch input and consistent with a preset user fingerprint input is provided to a fingerprint recognition area for sensing a user's fingerprint recognition, and Wherein, during the period when the fingerprint recognition unit determines whether the fingerprint input consistent with the preset user fingerprint input is provided to the fingerprint recognition area, the processor remains in a disabled state.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein: One of an input port and an output port of a chip constituting the display unit is electrically connected to one of an input port and an output port of a chip constituting the fingerprint recognition unit through a bus.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The display unit includes a display panel and a display control unit. The touch recognition unit includes a touch panel and a touch control unit, and the fingerprint recognition unit includes a fingerprint recognition panel and a fingerprint recognition control unit, and Wherein, at least one of the touch panel and the fingerprint recognition panel is integrated with the display panel.

8. A method for driving an electronic device, comprising: sensing a touch input through a touch recognition unit; When the touch input is sensed, enabling a display unit through the touch recognition unit; When the display unit is enabled, enabling the fingerprint recognition unit through the display unit; as well as A processor is activated in response to a determination result of the fingerprint recognition unit, wherein the determination result is that the user fingerprint is consistent with a preset fingerprint input by at least a predetermined amount, wherein the processor remains in a sleep state until the user fingerprint is recognized.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: A preset image is outputted on a display area through the display unit, and the processor is kept in a disabled state during outputting the preset image through the display unit, wherein the image is displayed on the display area.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising: When the fingerprint recognition unit is enabled, the fingerprint recognition unit determines whether a fingerprint input included in the touch input and consistent with a preset user fingerprint input is provided to a fingerprint recognition area for sensing user fingerprint recognition, and the processor is kept in a disabled state during the period in which the fingerprint recognition unit determines whether the fingerprint input consistent with the preset user fingerprint input is provided to the fingerprint recognition area.

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