This disclosure relates to a biometric device, and more particularly to a method and a compact biometric device.
Biometric recognition is a technology for biometrics authentication (or realistic authentication) by body measurements and calculations. The body measurements and calculations are related to biological characteristics, including fingerprint, palm print, veins, iris, retina and face. Nowadays, biometric recognition has been applied to many fields which require information privacy and personal safety, such as digital assistant, smart phone, desktop, debit card, digital wallet and customs authority.
A wide use of biometric recognition includes fingerprint recognition and finger vein recognition. In a conventional device for fingerprint recognition or finger vein recognition, in order to converge light from the finger onto the sensors, an optical system inside the device should satisfy thin lens formula (1/f=1/u+1/v, wherein f is a focal length of the lens, u is a distance from an object to the lens, and v is a distance from the lens to an image). A focal length of a lens satisfying thin lens formula leads to large size of the device so that it is unfavorable to apply this device on portable electronic devices. If the lens is removed, light received by the sensors is insufficient; also, light reflected by single biological characteristic, such as fingerprint or vein, is divergent toward multiple directions so that it may be received by multiple sensors, thereby outputting an image with low resolution to influence the accuracy of recognition. A useful way is to form a light passing part featuring high aspect ratio (more than 10) for preventing light divergence, thereby achieving point-to-point imaging. However, small size of hole for light passing on a light shielding layer lead to insufficient amount of light reaching the sensors; or, large size of hole for light passing leads to a demand of large thickness of the light shielding layer since high aspect ratio should be satisfied, thereby increasing both the size of device and manufacturing difficulty.
According to another aspect of this disclosure, a biometric device includes a light illumination unit and an imaging module. The light illumination unit is configured to emit light toward biological characteristics. The imaging module is configured to receive light from the light illumination unit. The imaging module includes an optical angular selecting structure and a sensing layer. The optical angular selecting structure includes a micro lens array, a refractive layer and a light shielding layer. The refractive layer is disposed between the micro lens array and the light shielding layer. The micro lens array includes a plurality of lens units, and the light shielding layer defines a plurality of light passing parts. The sensing layer is configured to receive light of the light illumination unit. The light shielding layer is disposed between the refractive layer and the sensing layer, and an optical angular selective distance is defined between the light shielding layer and the sensing layer. When a radius of curvature of the lens unit is R, a diameter of the lens unit is D, a distance between centers of each pair of adjacent lens units is P, a width of the light passing part is WO, an aspect ratio of the light passing part is AR, and the optical angular selective distance is S, the following conditions are satisfied:
1.0≤AR≤5.0;
0.6<R/D≤2.86;
0.02≤WO/P≤0.5; and
0≤S≤3P.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawings.
Please refer to
As shown in
The micro lens array 211 includes a plurality of lens units 2111. In this embodiment, the lens units 2111 are identical and tightly arranged; that is, a ratio of a diameter D of the lens unit 2111 to a distance P between centers of each pair of adjacent lens units 2111 is 1 (D/P=1). It is worth noting that the arrangement of the lens units 2111 is not limited by the above. In some embodiments, the lens units are loosely arranged (D/P<1); or alternatively, each pair of adjacent lens units 2111 are connected together such that every lens unit 2111 is rectangular from a top view of the imaging module 20 (D/P>1). When D/P is equal to 1.414, an aperture ratio (effective area for light to pass) of the micro lens array 211 is substantially 100%.
The refractive layer 212 is, for example but not limited to, a transparent resin layer, and the micro lens array 211 is disposed on a top side of the refractive layer 212. The light shielding layer 213 is, for example but not limited to, an opaque black matrix, and the refractive layer 212 is located between the micro lens array 211 and the light shielding layer 213. The light shielding layer 213 defines a plurality of light passing parts 2131, and the light passing parts 2131 respectively correspond to the lens units 2111. The light passing part 2131 is, for example but not limited to, a through hole on the light shielding layer 213. The interlayer 214 is, for example but not limited to, an epoxy layer located between another side of the light shielding layer 213 opposite to the refractive layer 212.
The sensing layer 220 includes a plurality of sensing units 221, 222 and 223 which are, for example but not limited to, complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS). The interlayer 214 is located between the light shielding layer 213 and the sensing units 221, 222, 223 of the sensing layer 220. The light shielding layer 213 and the sensing layer 220 define an optical angular selective distance S therebetween. Each of the sensing units 221, 222, 223 has a sensing region for receiving the light reflected by the biological characteristics. The sensing regions of the sensing units 221, 222, 223 respectively correspond to the light passing parts 2131 of the light shielding layer 213. There is a non-sensing region 224 between each pair of adjacent two of the sensing units 221, 222, 223.
When the light illumination unit 30 emits light onto one of the biological characteristics, the biological characteristic reflects the light, and the reflected light travels toward the imaging module 20. The reflected light passes through the micro lens array 211, the refractive layer 212, the light passing parts 2131 of the light shielding layer 213 and the interlayer 214 in sequence so as to project onto the sensing layer 220. The sensing regions of the sensing units 221, 222, 223 receive the reflected light and generate biometric image signals. When the reflected light travels from the biological characteristic to the sensing layer 220, if a reflected light ray passing through one of the light passing parts 2131 is received by multiple sensing units (for example, the reflected light ray is received by the sensing units 222 and 223), it is difficult to accurately recognize the biological characteristics in the biometric image due to a crosstalk resulted from the biometric image signals generated by the sensing layer 220. In order to prevent the aforementioned problem as well as meet the requirement of compactness, an improvement of the configuration of the biometric device 1 is described hereafter.
As shown in
When a radius of curvature of each of the lens units 2111 is R, the diameter of each of the lens units 2111 is D, the distance between centers of each pair of adjacent lens units 2111 is P, the width of each of the light passing parts 2131 is WO, the optical angular selective distance between the light shielding layer 213 and the sensing layer 220 is S, a maximum height of each of the lens units 2111 is LH, a thickness of the refractive layer 212 is H, and a width of the sensing region of each of the sensing units 221, 222 and 223 is WS, the following conditions are satisfied:
0.5≤R/D≤2.86; (Condition 1)
0.02<WO/P<0.3; and (Condition 2)
(H+LH)×(WS−WO)/(2×P+WO)≤S≤(H+LH)×(2×P−WS−WO)/(2×P+WO). (Condition 3)
When condition 1 is satisfied, it is favorable for preventing light with large angle of incidence at the lens unit 2111 from being received by multiple sensing units, so as to reduce crosstalk. Specifically, when a reflected light ray travels from the biological characteristic into the lens unit 2111 corresponding to the sensing unit 221, with larger angle of incidence at this lens unit 2111, it is ensured that this reflected light ray is unable to be received by the sensing units 222 and 223. In addition, as shown in
When condition 2 is satisfied, it is favorable for the light shielding layer 213 to block out the light with large angle of incidence at the lens unit 2111, so as to further reduce crosstalk. Specifically, when a reflected light ray travels from the biological characteristic into the lens unit 2111 corresponding to the sensing unit 221, with larger angle of incidence at this lens unit 2111, this reflected light ray is blocked by the light shielding layer 213 so as to be unable to reach the sensing units 222 and 223. Moreover, since an overly narrow light passing part 2131 may cause unfavorable diffraction of light and low light-sensing efficiency, the value of condition 2 (WO/P) is larger than 0.02.
When condition 3 is satisfied, it is ensured that the light with large angle of incidence at the lens unit 2111 reaches the non-sensing regions 224. Specifically, when a reflected light ray travels, with larger angle of incidence, into the lens unit 2111 corresponding to the sensing unit 221 and then passes through the light passing part 2131 corresponding to the sensing unit 222, this reflected light ray reaches the non-sensing regions 224 between the sensing units 222 and 223, thereby further reducing crosstalk.
By the aforementioned configuration of the biometric device 1, a sum of thicknesses of the micro lens array 211, the refractive layer 212, the light shielding layer 213, the interlayer 214 and the sensing layer 220 can be less than 3.0 millimeters (mm), such that it is favorable for the biometric device 1 enjoying the advantages of compactness and high accuracy of recognition.
The lens units respectively correspond to the sensing units in
In
The first lens group 2112 corresponds to the sensing unit 221 of the sensing layer 220, and the second lens group 2113 corresponds to the sensing unit 222 of the sensing layer 220; thus, an arrangement of the sensing units with each of them corresponding to multiple lens units is disclosed. In detail, in this embodiment, the lens units of the first lens group 2112 respectively correspond to the sensing regions of the sensing unit 221, and the lens units of the second lens group 2113 respectively correspond to the sensing regions of the sensing unit 222.
When a radius of curvature of each of the lens units 2111 of the micro lens array 211 is R, a diameter of each of the lens units 2111 is D, a distance between centers of each pair of adjacent lens units 2111 is P, a width of each of the light passing parts 2131c is WO, the aspect ratio of each of the light passing parts 2131c is AR, an optical angular selective distance between the light shielding layer 213c and the sensing layer 220 is S, and the following conditions are satisfied:
0.6<R/D≤2.86; (Condition 4)
0.02≤WO/P≤0.5; and (Condition 5)
0≤S<3P. (Condition 6)
When conditions 4 through 6 are satisfied, it is favorable for preventing light with large angle of incidence at the lens unit 1211 from reaching multiple sensing units, so as to reduce crosstalk, thereby improving image quality.
In
The following specific embodiments, charts and images are provided for further explanation of the present disclosure.
Furthermore, Table 2 shows a first comparative embodiment (1st CEM) through a tenth comparative embodiment (10th CEM). In each of the ten comparative embodiments, at least one of conditions 1, 2 and 3 is not satisfied.
Furthermore, Table 4 shows an eleventh comparative embodiment (11th CEM) through an eighteenth comparative embodiment (18th CEM). In each of the eight comparative embodiments, at least one of conditions 4, 5 and 6 is not satisfied.
According to the disclosure, the aspect ratio of the light passing part is properly limited so as to be favorable for the compactness of biometric device. When several conditions, which relate to the specifications of the optical angular selecting structure and the sensing layer, are satisfied, the light with large angle of incidence at a specific lens unit is blocked by the light shielding layer; or alternatively, the light with large angle of incidence at the specific lens unit reach a non-sensing region of the sensing layer. Therefore, it is favorable for a specific sensing region corresponding to the specific lens unit only receiving light from the specific lens unit, thereby reducing crosstalk to accomplish high accuracy of recognition. A configuration of the biometric device of the present disclosure is not restricted by the conventional Lensmaker's equation (or thin lens formula), and it is unnecessary to select light with proper angle of incidence by using a structure having more than 10 of aspect ratio, so as to meet the requirement of compactness.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present disclosure. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary embodiments only, with a scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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106144871 | Dec 2017 | TW | national |
This is a divisional patent application of patent application Ser. No. 15/854,991, filed on Dec. 27, 2017, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) on Patent Application No. 62/544,493 filed in U.S. on Aug. 11, 2017, and Patent Application No(s). 106144871 filed in Taiwan R.O.C. on Dec. 20, 2017, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62544493 | Aug 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 15854991 | Dec 2017 | US |
Child | 16681923 | US |