Foldable Display Fingerprint Detection via Dual Sensor Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable electronic devices with flexible displays face challenges in using fingerprint sensors due to wrinkling issues caused by physical pressure, making it difficult to effectively detect fingerprints through the flexible display material.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a foldable electronic device design with a dual fingerprint sensor system, where one sensor is on the front surface and another on the rear, both connected to a circuit board, and supported by a structure that includes a transparent area to prevent wrinkling, allowing fingerprint detection from multiple directions without compromising the display's integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible polymer material window is used in the display to enable foldability, then the device can be folded and carried conveniently, but wrinkles occur when physical pressure is applied making fingerprint sensor operation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The fingerprint sensor system is segmented into multiple independent sensors positioned at different locations on the display. Each sensor can independently detect fingerprints, and the system can select the most reliable sensor based on display state, thereby maintaining fingerprint detection reliability while preserving foldability.
Solution Approach 2:
The display serves multiple functions: it acts as both the visual display interface and as a substrate for multiple fingerprint sensors. By integrating universal fingerprint detection capability across different display regions, the system maintains reliability while preserving the flexible foldable structure.
2Device complexity
If a single fingerprint sensor is positioned on the display, then the structure is simple, but it cannot detect fingerprints reliably when the display is folded or under pressure
Solution Approach 1:
The fingerprint detection function is segmented across multiple sensors positioned at different locations. This segmentation allows the system to maintain simple individual sensor structures while achieving reliable fingerprint detection through multiple measurement points that can adapt to different display states.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-point fingerprint detection to multi-point detection across different spatial dimensions on the display surface. This dimensional expansion allows fingerprint detection to remain reliable whether the display is flat, folded, or under pressure, as multiple sensors can capture valid fingerprint data from different locations.
3Reliability
If multiple fingerprint sensors are added to detect fingerprints from different directions, then fingerprint detection reliability improves, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple fingerprint sensors are merged into a coordinated detection system where sensors at different positions work together. The manufacturing process integrates these sensors during display assembly, and the control system merges their output data to determine valid fingerprint detections, thereby achieving high reliability without proportionally increasing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes automatic determination logic that selects which sensor data to trust based on the current display state. This self-service capability eliminates the need for complex manual configuration or calibration of each sensor, as the system automatically adapts to use the most reliable sensor based on whether the display is folded or flat, simplifying the manufacturing and assembly process.
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 design enhances the usability of fingerprint detection in foldable devices by preventing wrinkling and ensuring reliable fingerprint recognition across different orientations, improving user convenience and device durability.
Implementation Method 1
a first fingerprint sensor provided on a front surface of a circuit board and configured to detect a fingerprint through at least a portion of the first display
Implementation Method 2
a second fingerprint sensor provided on a rear surface of the circuit board opposite to the front surface and configured to detect a fingerprint through at least a portion of the second display
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a foldable housing including a hinge, a first housing connected to the hinge and including a first surface facing a first direction and a second surface facing a second direction opposite to the first direction, and a second housing connected to the hinge, the second housing including a third surface facing a third direction and a fourth surface facing a fourth direction opposite to the third direction, wherein the first housing and the second housing are foldable relative to each with respect to the hinge, and the first surface faces the third surface in a folded state and the third direction is the same as the first direction in an unfolded state, and a first display forming the first surface and the third surface and extending from the first surface to the third surface.