Full-screen smartphone fingerprint biometrics patented by Xiaomi

In an eventful week for smartphone biometrics, Xiaomi patents an all-screen fingerprint scanner, Apple watchers posit an under-screen Face ID feature for the iPhone 14 Pro, and Boréas releases a new gesture detection and force-sensing platform.

Xiaomi patents all-screen fingerprint scanner

Spotted by Gizmochina, the new patent would transform the whole touch-screen of smartphones into a surface capable of fingerprint biometric authentication.

The technology seems to work via LED light transmitters placed underneath the capacitive touch-screen layer, but above the normal AMOLED display.

An array of infrared light receivers will then reportedly be installed above the infrared LED light transmitters, to enable the capacitive touch screen to register the touch, position, and shape of the fingertip.

The array of infrared LED transmitters will finally light out the screen at only the shape and position of the fingertip, reflecting the light back to the infrared light receivers, which will map out the contour of the fingerprint and store it for later verification.

The concept of an all-screen fingerprint scanner is not new in the world of smartphones, with Huawei submitting a patent in 2020 showing a similar concept.

At the time of writing, however, the company has not yet commercialized the technology, making Xiaomi’s recent attempt an interesting one to watch.

Rumors suggest Phone 14 Pro may feature under-screen Face ID

Spotted by 9To5Mac, the rumors of a new sensor placement for iPhone face biometrics come from reliable leaker DylanDKT, who has based his findings on sources such as Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

“I am able to corroborate information regarding a hole-punch camera for the pro models of the iPhone 14,” DylanDKT recently wrote on Twitter, adding to the speculation.

“Face ID hardware will be placed under the display,” the Apple expert explains.

In addition, DylanDKT also reassured that the functionality of the sensors has not been negatively affected by the hardware change.

This is not the first time under-screen face biometrics are predicted for future iPhone models, with an Apple patent spotted in July 2021 suggesting as much. Under-display biometrics were also predicted for cheaper iPhone 14 models in June last year.

Boréas unveils smartphones’ gesture-detection and force-sensing platform

The news comes almost a year after the fabless semiconductor company teased the piezo sensor that combined gesture detection with HD haptic feedback.

Now, Boréas is taking smartphone haptics one step further, with the official release of  NexusTouch, a sensor that effectively turns the smartphones’ edges into customizable interactive zones

“[This allows] UI/UX designers to craft context-sensitive haptic effects where a button might feel like a trigger in a mobile gaming environment, a heartbeat on a health-tracking app, or a click that’s as reassuring as the shutter click of a DSLR camera,” explains Boréas Technologies CEO Simon Chaput.

“NexusTouch also delivers more accurate gesture detection via force-sensing and advanced algorithms, allowing users to swipe, tap or fling on the side of the device to activate particular functions.

“And because it uses piezo haptics—a newer high-performing technology—it only vibrates the area under the user’s finger to enhance the touch experience, unlike legacy technologies that vibrate the entire phone,” Chaput adds.

More information about NexusTouch and its applications are available in a free whitepaper recently released by Boréas.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometrics  |  Boréas Technologies  |  Face ID  |  fingerprint scanners  |  full-screen fingerprint authentication  |  patents  |  research and development  |  smartphones  |  Xiaomi