New tech for in-display biometrics developed by Qualcomm, Samsung

Qualcomm has announced that its newest in-display biometric fingerprint sensors will be deployed in smartphones early this year, writes Engadget. The new 3D Sonic Sensor will be significantly larger and is supposed to be 50 percent faster than the previous version. Accordingly, Qualcomm’s new 3D Sonic Sensor will span an area of 64 square millimeters, a 77 percent increase compared to its predecessor’s 36 square millimeters.

The second generation of its signature 3D Sonic Sensor boasts higher accuracy and speed, the company says. Qualcomm promises faster unlocking procedures thanks to new improvements in scanner processing efficiency. Additionally, the new scanner’s larger surface will allow it to collect 1.7 times more biometric data.

Qualcomm’s latest addition to its 3D Sonic family of scanners builds on the company’s success in meeting the ongoing security demands and concerns surrounding in-display devices. While conventional scanners encountered security breaches due to spoofing and inaccuracies, 3D Sonic uses ultrasound technology to scan pores and ridges of a finger.

In addition to this news, Qualcomm also announced that the 3D Sonic Max, its largest scanning device, just won the CES 2021 Innovation Award in the ‘Embedded Technologies’ category.

The 3D Sonic Max was crowned the most advanced ultrasonic fingerprint sensor due to its biometric accuracy and peak performance regardless of humidity and other conditions. At only 0.2 millimeters thickness, the 3D Sonic Max spans 600 square millimeters and is capable of scanning two fingerprints simultaneously.

Samsung patent details invisible in-display camera and flash

Samsung Display Co. published a U.S. patent application for a new in-display camera and flash that will be embedded invisibly underneath the screen, per LetsgoDigital. The patent titled ‘Display Device,’ was published at the end December.

According to Samsung’s specifications, its new device makes use of two display layers.  The traditional main layer, which constitutes the display area, is now covered by a second layer with increased light transmission. This, in turn, allows the embedded camera to capture high-resolution images and videos.

A selfie camera and flash will be placed behind the second layer, which is to be placed either over either the entire width of the display’s top or over one of its two upper corners. Accordingly, the new in-display device will incorporate an infrared sensor that will sense the reflections of the object to be photographed by calculating the distance between the object and the smartphone display.

In addition to these specifications, the patent also details that the two display layers will be interconnected and integrated to allow for seamless distribution of content across the display area. However, the specifications also note that the second layer may yield a lower resolution than the main display layer.

Implementing an under-display camera in its smartphones could allow Samsung to offer face biometric authentication for device unlocking and other applications while maximizing display area.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  cameras  |  fingerprint recognition  |  patents  |  Qualcomm  |  research and development  |  Samsung  |  smartphones  |  ultrasonic fingerprints  |  under display