Fingerprint Sensor Orientation Check to Prevent Accidental Touches

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Solution Overview

Problem

Fingerprint sensors on electronic devices often trigger unintended responses due to accidental touches, leading to unnecessary power consumption and user inconvenience, especially when integrated into outer or rear sides of devices.

Innovation Solution

The method involves detecting operations on a fingerprint sensor and determining the matching result, skipping responses when the included angle between the screen and gravity direction exceeds a preset range, and using additional sensors like acceleration, camera, or infrared to confirm user interaction, thereby reducing power consumption and improving user experience.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the fingerprint sensor is integrated into the outer side or rear side of the electronic device for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but accidental touches occur more frequently causing unintended responses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of access to fingerprint sensorVSAvoidaccuracy of fingerprint recognition
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary detection of the device's orientation state before executing the fingerprint recognition response. By checking whether the included angle between the screen direction and gravity direction falls within the preset range, the system proactively identifies accidental touch scenarios and prevents unintended responses, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of access and recognition accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the orientation detection mechanism to provide feedback on whether the device is in a normal operational state. This feedback loop allows the system to distinguish between intentional and accidental touches, ensuring that fingerprint responses are only executed when appropriate, thus maintaining both accessibility and reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If the electronic device executes response immediately after fingerprint matching to improve response speed, then the productivity is improved, but power is wasted on unintended responses

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponse speed of fingerprint recognitionVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs a preliminary check of the device orientation state before executing the fingerprint recognition response. By detecting whether the included angle between the screen direction and gravity direction falls within the preset range, the system avoids executing responses for accidental touches, thereby preventing unnecessary power consumption while maintaining fast response for valid operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system adds a partial verification step (orientation detection) to the fingerprint recognition process. This additional check is minimal in terms of power consumption but effectively filters out accidental touches, ensuring that power is only consumed for legitimate authentication attempts, thus optimizing the balance between response speed and energy efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach effectively reduces accidental triggers of fingerprint sensors, conserves power, and enhances user interaction by ensuring responses are only executed when intended, improving the operational efficiency and usability of electronic devices.

Implementation Method 1

a fingerprint sensor... determining a result of matching a fingerprint collected by the fingerprint sensor with a preset fingerprint

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFingerprint recognition:

Implementation Method 2

an included angle between a direction of the screen and a gravity direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravity: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP3410281B1Processing method and electronic device
Publication Date: 2021.08.18 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3410281B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3410281B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2b
  • EP3410281B1 patent drawingFigure 2c

AI summary

A processing method is disclosed. An electronic device may detect, in a locked state, an operation performed on a fingerprint sensor; determine a result of matching a fingerprint collected by the fingerprint sensor with a preset fingerprint, where the matching result is matching or not matching; and when an included angle between a direction of a screen and a gravity direction falls beyond a preset range, skip executing a response corresponding to the matching result; or when an included angle between a direction of a screen and a gravity direction falls within a preset range, execute a response corresponding to the matching result. Therefore, a response caused due to accidental touch of the fingerprint sensor can be prevented from being executed, and power consumption of the electronic device can be reduced.