Integrated Touch Sensor Detecting Position, Pressure, and Fingerprint

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current touch sensors are unable to concurrently detect touch position, pressure, and fingerprint recognition in a single device, limiting their functionality and user experience.

Innovation Solution

A touch sensor design that integrates fingerprint recognition, touch position detection, and pressure magnitude measurement by using a substrate with sensor pixels, auxiliary electrodes, and an insulating member, which includes a sensor scan driver, read-out circuit, and power supply unit to process touch information and recognize fingerprint patterns.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate touch sensors are used for touch position, pressure, and fingerprint recognition, then each function can be detected independently, but the device complexity and number of components increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidnumber of sensors
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines touch position detection, pressure magnitude detection, and fingerprint recognition into a single touch sensor device. The touch sensor includes a substrate with sensor pixels that can simultaneously detect touch position coordinates, pressure magnitude through capacitance changes, and fingerprint patterns through ridge-valley analysis, eliminating the need for multiple separate sensors

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The touch sensor is designed as a multi-functional device that performs multiple detection tasks simultaneously. A single sensor pixel can detect touch position, measure applied pressure through capacitance variation, and recognize fingerprint patterns by analyzing ridge and valley characteristics, making the device universal for various biometric and interaction functions

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If multiple separate devices are used for touch and fingerprint detection, then each device can be optimized for its specific function, but the ease of operation and integration difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoiduser interaction
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent integrates touch position detection, pressure sensing, and fingerprint recognition into a single unified sensor device, allowing users to interact with the device through natural touch gestures without needing to switch between or coordinate multiple separate devices, thereby improving ease of operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single touch sensor performs multiple functions including touch position detection, pressure magnitude measurement, and fingerprint pattern recognition, enabling the device to handle various user interactions and biometric authentication in one integrated component, simplifying the user experience

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If a single touch sensor detects multiple parameters simultaneously, then device integration is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefunctional integrationVSAvoidparameter detection complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The touch sensor is divided into multiple sensor pixels arranged in an array, with each pixel independently capable of detecting touch position, pressure, and fingerprint characteristics. This segmentation allows parallel processing of multiple parameters across the sensor surface, reducing the complexity at each individual sensing point while maintaining overall functionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes the spatial dimension by arranging sensor pixels in a two-dimensional array across the substrate. Each pixel's position in the array provides spatial information for touch location, while the pixel's electrical characteristics provide pressure and fingerprint data, effectively using dimensional separation to manage detection complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

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

Enables simultaneous detection of touch position, pressure, and fingerprint recognition, enhancing user interaction and providing advanced functionality in a single touch sensor device.

Implementation Method 1

a capacitor electrode forming a first capacitor with the sensor electrode

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCapacitance: Capacitance

Data Source

PatentEP3264239B1Integrated touch display device capable of detecting fingerprint and applied touch pressure
Publication Date: 2020.10.21 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD
  • EP3264239B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3264239B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3C
  • EP3264239B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

A touch sensor including a substrate and a plurality of sensor pixels positioned on the substrate and connected to sensor scan lines and output lines. At least one of the sensor pixels is connected to an ith sensor scan line and a jth output line (where i is an integer of no less than 2 and j is a natural number) and includes a sensor electrode, a first transistor having a gate electrode connected to the sensor electrode to control a current output through the jth output line, a second transistor having a gate electrode connected to the ith sensor scan line and connected between a reference voltage line and the first transistor, and a capacitor electrode forming a first capacitor with the sensor electrode and connected to the ith sensor scan line.