Apple patent describes method in which Touch ID could span an entire iPhone display

While Touch ID is no longer offered as a means of biometric authentication on current model iPhones and iPad Pro tablets, Apple may be considering the possibility of adding fingerprint recognition to its mobile devices, by using acoustic imaging on the display. 

Face ID has been a successful replacement for Touch ID, boasting fewer false positives than the more physical biometric security system while still remaining fast to use. While it has brought some benefits, there are still some advantages to using Touch ID over Face ID, such as in situations where it isn’t prudent to use Face ID or to unlock the iPhone while it is still in the user’s pocket. 

Per a recently-granted patent, Apple seems to have come up with a means of incorporating Touch ID without sacrificing a significant chunk of the iPhone’s real estate.

The patent, entitled “Acoustic pulse coding for imaging of input devices,” describes how sound could be applied to a surface in order to detect how another object comes into contact with it. In short, this could enable a fingerprint to be read when it is pressed onto a display.

The design described within the patent uses an array of acoustic transducers that are positioned in contact with the surface. These units can transmit a coded impulse signal in response to a touch input. By monitoring the reflections from multiple coded signals, an image resolver can receive the reflection data and generate an image based on the input. 

The end result is that sound impulses are sent out that come into contact with the ridges of the user’s fingerprint. These ridges interrupt the impulse’s transit and are reflected, with these reflections then interpreted into a fingerprint image that can be analyzed. 

The technique would provide a number of benefits when compared to existing fingerprint reading technologies. Among the advantages would be a reduced thickness of the components requires. There would also be a lack of a need for electrodes to be placed on the display. This, in turn, would reduce the complexity of display production, which means a potential speed boost for performing the authentication check in the first place, due to Apple suggesting it requires less processing power. 

The technology, which is based on sound transmittance, could feasibly allow for fingerprint reading, which could be placed anywhere on the display of the device.

One version involves transducers surrounding the entire display area, potentially allowing for a more accurate scan by pinging from multiple sides. 

Apple files numerous patents on a weekly basis, so a patent doesn’t necessarily mean that this technology will it be used, but this is a good indicator as to what might be down the road. 

Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.

Via AppleInsider and the United States Patent and Trademark Office