Under-display camera for 3D face biometrics developed by Infineon, pmd, ArcSoft

Partners Infineon and pmdtechnologies have teamed up with ArcSoft to develop a turnkey under-display time-of-flight 3D imaging solution that could enable OEMs to put 3D face biometrics into smartphones without notches or bezels.

The combined solution provides high-quality infrared images and 3D data to support applications with security requirements, like face authentication and biometric mobile payments. User-facing ToF cameras are mostly used for biometric face authentication and photo enhancements, the partners say.

Bringing together the three companies’ high-end semiconductor technology, ToF expertise and algorithms enables easy integration of the solution by OEMs, according to the announcement.

The partners also suggest the gray values and depth data quality from under-display imaging sensors can be as good as those obtained with traditional over-display implementations, ensuring security for critical applications.

The companies cite Strategy Analytics’ forecast that 600 million ToF sensor units will be sold for smartphones by 2025.

“To build powerful Time-of-Flight cameras, you need to have a deep understanding of the 3D data and how applications make use of it. That is why we are working closely with middleware partners and OEMs to provide them best in class ToF-algorithms, software, and high-quality 3D data to build their application on. The solution, that we are jointly developing with ArcSoft, allows our ToF cameras to see through displays while still meeting the requirements for secure face authentication in mobile phone unlock and mobile payment,” states Professor Dr. Bernd Buxbaum, CEO of pmdtechnologies.

Infineon and pmd developed the REAL3 sensor to bring 3D biometrics to smartphones and other devices in 2020.

“The implementation of 3D ToF in mobile devices promises to spark the next wave of killer consumer applications, which is exactly why ArcSoft is excited to work with Infineon and pmdtechnologies,” says Sean Bi, COO of ArcSoft. “By deeply integrating ToF cameras with ArcSoft’s computer vision algorithms, under-display ToF can bring reliable facial recognition solutions and a superior full-screen experience to consumers. Relying on under-display ToF, ArcSoft will also enable more applications such as AR related, which mobile manufacturers value when deployed in support of new and exciting mobile apps.”

The solution is expected to debut at MWC 2021 later this month, and reach availability in the third quarter of 2021.

Article Topics

3D  |  authentication  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  image sensor  |  Infineon  |  research and development  |  smartphones  |  under display