Samsung patents rollable display device with fingerprint sensor

Samsung has patented a tablet-like rollable display device with an integrated fingerprint sensor, LetsGoDigital reports. The OLED display can be rolled up into a small tube, which houses the fingerprint sensor.

Rollable displays date back to an e-reader prototyped by Philips in 2005, and LG demonstrated an 18-inch, 1mm thick, flexible OLED display TV at CES 2016. Samsung followed shortly after with a rollable OLED display only 0.3mm thick and 5 grams.

Samsung’s new U.S. patent, 15/621,431, describes the fingerprint sensor being used to lock the device by controlling the display apparatus’ power. The patent describes the device using magnets to control the display’s rolling movement and its position inside the main body.

The patent was applied for in Korea in June, 2016, and the U.S. patent was filed a year later.

As previously reported, Samsung’s patent application last year for a similar device included the possibility of iris recognition and numerous other biometric modalities.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  fingerprint sensor  |  mobile device  |  patent  |  Samsung