WO2017183795A1

WO2017183795A1 - Optical sensor device and optical sensing method

Info

Publication number: WO2017183795A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/014965
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김종태; 김영수
Original assignee: (주)파트론
Priority date: 2016-04-18
Filing date: 2016-12-21
Publication date: 2017-10-26
Also published as: KR20170119213A; KR101872757B1

Abstract

Disclosed is an optical sensor device. An optical sensor device, according to the present invention, comprises: a control unit for determining an operation mode; a light emitting unit for emitting light of a particular wavelength; and a light receiving unit comprising a plurality of pixels and for detecting the emitted light reflecting off an object, wherein the light receiving unit detects light by means of activating all or a part of the plurality of pixels if the control unit determines that an operation mode is an iris recognition mode, and detects light by means of activating a part of the pixels activated in the iris recognition mode if the control unit determines that an operation mode is a proximity sensing mode.

Description

Optical sensor device and optical sensing method

The present invention relates to an optical sensor device and an optical sensing method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a sensor device capable of recognizing an iris or a proximity of an object using a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit, and a sensing method using the sensor. .

Recent smart devices, including smart phones, tablet computers and wearable devices, are being used to perform functions that contain more sensitive information or require security. As a result, higher levels of security are being employed in these smart devices.

In the past, security means using a password or a pattern of a specific shape have been used. Recently, security means using fingerprint recognition have been widely used. Security means using a biometric signal of the user, such as a fingerprint has the advantage that the security is higher than that of the conventional.

Security measures using iris recognition have more and more complex patterns than fingerprints. In addition, the pattern of the iris is difficult to be forged than the pattern of the fingerprint has the advantage of high security. In addition, fingerprint recognition is a method of contacting the surface of the fingerprint directly to the sensor surface, so it is not possible to recognize when wearing gloves or foreign material on the fingerprint, but iris recognition is a non-contact method of wearing glasses or contact lenses There is an advantage that can be recognized in.

In order to recognize the iris, an infrared light emitting unit and an infrared light receiving unit should be mounted. However, mounting such a separate device for iris recognition is a factor in raising the price, and it is a factor that hinders the reduction of light and small size of smart devices. Thus, security means using iris recognition have not been widely used.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical sensor device and an optical sensing method capable of simultaneously performing iris recognition and proximity sensing with one optical sensor device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical sensor device and an optical sensing method capable of minimizing power consumption while simultaneously performing iris recognition and proximity sensing with one optical sensor device.

The object to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above, it will be readily understood that other objects than the above object can be achieved by the invention described in the following description and claims.

The optical sensor device of the present invention for solving the above problems, including a control unit for determining the operation mode, a light emitting unit for emitting light of a specific wavelength and a plurality of pixels, for detecting that the emitted light is reflected on the object A light receiving unit, and the light receiving unit detects light by activating all or part of the plurality of pixels when the controller determines the operation mode as an iris recognition mode, and when the control unit determines the operation mode as a proximity sensing mode. Light is detected by activating some of the pixels that are activated in iris recognition mode.

In addition, in the optical sensing method of the present invention for solving the above problems, the step of determining the operation mode, when determined as the iris recognition mode, emits light to the iris, a plurality of pixels that the reflected light is reflected on the iris And detecting the information of the iris and the proximity sensing mode, emit light to the proximity object, and detect only the selected part of the plurality of pixels that the emitted light is reflected to the proximity object. Recognizing whether the object is in proximity.

According to the present invention, iris recognition and proximity sensing can be simultaneously performed with one optical sensor device.

In addition, according to the present invention, iris recognition and proximity sensing can be simultaneously performed with one optical sensor device, and power consumption can be minimized.

1 schematically shows an appearance of an electronic device on which the optical sensor device of the present invention is mounted.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the optical sensor device of the present invention.

3 is a block diagram schematically showing the optical sensor device of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing that the optical sensor device of the present invention operates in the iris recognition mode.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the optical sensor device of the present invention operating in the proximity sensing mode.

6 illustrates a light receiver in an iris recognition mode in the optical sensor device of the present invention.

7 illustrates a light receiving unit in a proximity sensing mode in the optical sensor device of the present invention.

8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the optical sensor device of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described embodiments of the present invention; In describing the present invention, if it is determined that adding specific descriptions of techniques or configurations already known in the art may make the gist of the present invention unclear, some of them will be omitted from the detailed description. In addition, terms used in the present specification are terms used to properly express the embodiments of the present invention, which may vary according to related persons or customs in the art. Therefore, the definitions of the terms should be made based on the contents throughout the specification.

Hereinafter, an optical sensor device and an optical sensing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7.

Referring to FIG. 1, the optical sensor device of the present invention may be mounted on an electronic device. 1 shows that the optical sensor device is mounted on the smartphone, but is not limited thereto. The electronic device may be, for example, a cellular phone terminal including a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a PDA device, a media player, a navigation device, a game play device, an electronic device wearable on a wrist, a headphone device, a handsfree device, or the like. This can be

The optical sensor device may be installed on the front side of the electronic device. The front of the electronic device generally refers to a part facing the user's face when the user uses the electronic device. Typically, the display device is located in front of the electronic device. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical sensor device may be specifically positioned around the display device.

The optical sensor device may be installed such that at least some portions are exposed to the outside. Exposing to the outside includes not only exposing a part of the optical sensor device to the outside as it is, but also optically exposed by being covered with a light transmitting part through which light of a specific wavelength can pass. In the present invention, a part of the optical sensor device may be installed to be exposed to infrared rays by being covered by a light transmitting window through which infrared rays can pass. The optical sensor device may be installed to expose portions of the light emitting unit 100 and the light receiving unit 200 which will be described later. The front optical camera 10 may be installed near the optical sensor device.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the optical sensor device of the present invention. 2, the optical sensor device of the present invention will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2, the optical sensor device includes a light emitter 100, a light receiver 200, a signal processor 300, and a controller 400.

The light emitter 100 emits light of a specific wavelength. The light emitting unit 100 may be, for example, a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), or a lamp. The light emitter 100 emits light by receiving power from the power supply 120. The power supply unit 120 may adjust the power supplied to the light emitting unit 100, and the light emitting unit 100 may adjust the power of light emitted according to the received power. The light emitter 100 may emit light of an infrared wavelength band.

The lens 150 may be positioned above the light emitter 100. The lens 150 may refract the light of the light emitter 100. According to the refractive characteristic of the lens 150, the FOV of the light irradiated to the outside of the optical sensor device may be adjusted. In some cases, the lens 150 may be one that can adjust the degree of refraction. Therefore, the FOV of the light emitter 100 may be flexibly controlled according to the adjustment state of the lens 150.

The light receiver 200 is an element that receives light emitted from the outside and converts the light into an electric signal. The light receiver 200 may be a photo diode (PD). The light receiver 200 may include a plurality of pixels. The plurality of pixels constituting the light receiving unit 200 may be formed of image sensors arranged adjacent to each other in two perpendicular or diagonal directions.

The light receiver 200 may selectively receive light having a predetermined specific wavelength band. To this end, an optical filter 230 that selectively transmits only light having a specific wavelength band may be positioned above the light receiver 200. The light receiver 200 preferably receives light of a wavelength band corresponding to light emitted from the light emitter 100. Therefore, when the light emitter 100 emits light in the infrared wavelength band, the optical filter 230 covering the light receiver 200 may be an optical filter having the infrared wavelength band as the pass band.

The light receiver 200 mainly detects the light emitted from the light emitter 100 to be reflected on an object, but does not receive only the light reflected by the light emitter 100. The light receiving unit 200 may simultaneously detect light emitted from the light emitting unit 100 and other light having the same wavelength band. However, it is preferable that the light receiving unit 200 mainly detects the light reflected by the light emitting unit 100.

The lens 250 may be positioned above the light receiver 200. The lens 250 may collect the light so that more light is irradiated to the light receiving unit 200, and may deflect the light so that the irradiated light is focused at the light receiving unit 200. In some cases, the lens 250 may be adjusted to focus on the light receiver 200. In detail, the lens 250 may be connected to the focusing module to move in the front and rear directions of the optical axis according to the distance between the object and the light receiving unit 200.

A light blocking wall 170 may be installed between the light emitter 100 and the light receiver 200. The light blocking wall 170 is a structure for preventing the light emitted from the light emitting unit 100 from flowing directly into the light receiving unit 200 without reaching the object. The light shielding wall 170 is formed to a suitable height, and is preferably formed of a light shielding resin material or the like. The light blocking wall 170 may be formed of, for example, a black plastic resin material.

The signal processor 300 is a device that receives and processes an electrical signal converted by the light receiver 200 to receive light. The signal processor 300 may be formed in the same package as the light receiver 200 and the light emitter 100, or may be formed as a separate package. The signal processor 300 may analyze the iris image photographed in the iris recognition mode to analyze the intrinsic pattern of the iris, and determine the proximity of the proximity object by analyzing the received light amount in the proximity sensing mode.

The controller 400 is an element that controls the operations of the light receiver 200 and / or the light emitter 100 described above. The control unit 400 may be formed in the same package as the light receiving unit 200 and the light emitting unit 100, or may be formed in a separate package. The controller 400 determines an operation mode of the optical sensor device by itself or receives an input signal for determining an operation mode from the outside. The controller 400 may control operations of the light receiver 200 and / or the light emitter 100 according to the determined operation mode. Control of the light receiving unit 200 and / or the light emitting unit 100 by the controller 400 will be described in detail below.

3 is a block diagram schematically showing the optical sensor device of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing that the optical sensor device of the present invention operates in the iris recognition mode. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the optical sensor device of the present invention operating in the proximity sensing mode.

Referring to FIG. 3, the controller 400 may determine an operation mode. The operation mode determined by the controller 400 includes an iris recognition mode and a proximity sensing mode.

The controller 400 may control the power supply unit 120 according to two operation modes. In detail, in the iris recognition mode, the power supply unit 120 may supply stronger power to the light emitting unit 100 and may supply weaker power to the light emitting unit 100 in the proximity sensing mode. As the power supply unit 120 is controlled, the amount of light emitted from the light emitting unit 100 may be controlled.

In addition, the controller 400 may control the light receiver 200 according to two operation modes. In detail, in the iris recognition mode, more pixels of the light receiver 200 may be activated, and in the proximity sensing mode, fewer pixels of the light receiver 200 may be activated. Operation of the power supply unit 120, the light emitting unit 100, and the light receiving unit 200 according to each mode will be described in more detail below.

The controller 400 determines an operation mode of the optical sensor device by itself or receives an input signal for determining an operation mode from the outside. The operation mode may be determined according to a user's setting, an operating state of the electronic device on which the optical sensor device is mounted, and the like. In detail, when the electronic device on which the optical sensor device is mounted is in a call state, the optical sensor device may be determined to be in a proximity sensing mode. In addition, when the electronic device equipped with the optical sensor device is ready for unlocking, the optical sensor device may be determined to be an iris recognition mode.

Referring to Figure 4, it will be described that the optical sensor device operates in the iris recognition mode.

In the iris recognition mode, the object of the optical sensor device becomes the iris i. In the iris recognition mode, the iris i may be located farther from the optical sensor device than the proximity object p in the proximity sensing mode.

In the iris recognition mode, the light emitter 100 emits light at a first level of power. The power of the first level is higher than that of the second level of the proximity sensing mode to be described later. This is because the iris (i) is located farther away in the iris recognition mode, and the amount of light required is larger than that in the proximity sensing mode because the image of the iris (i) needs to be taken and analyzed. The emitted light is irradiated to the iris (i) to be recognized and reflected.

In the iris recognition mode, the light receiver 200 detects light by activating all pixels. In this case, the lens 250 covering the light receiver 200 may be adjusted in position so that an object at a far distance is formed relative to the light receiver 200. According to this process, the optical sensor device captures an image of the iris i. The signal processor 300 analyzes the photographed iris image to analyze the unique pattern of the iris i.

Referring to FIG. 5, an operation of the optical sensor device in the proximity sensing mode will be described.

In the proximity sensing mode, the object of the optical sensor device becomes a proximity object p. In the proximity sensing mode, the proximity object p may be located closer to the optical sensor device than the iris i in the iris recognition mode.

In the power supply sensing mode, the light emitter 100 emits light at a second level of power. The power of the second level is lower than that of the first level of the iris recognition mode described above. This is because the proximity object p is relatively close in the proximity sensing mode, and the amount of light required is smaller than that in the iris recognition mode because the light reception amount is measured instead of taking an image. Thus, light can be emitted at a relatively smaller second level of power to minimize power consumption. The emitted light is irradiated to and reflected by the proximity object p to be recognized.

In the proximity sensing mode, the light receiver 200 detects light by activating only selected pixels of some of the plurality of pixels. In this case, the lens 250 covering the light receiver 200 may be adjusted in position so that an object at a short distance is formed relative to the light receiver 200. In addition, the lens 250 covering the light receiving unit 200 may refract the light to be focused on the pixel portion where the light is activated. The signal processor 300 may determine the proximity of the proximity object p by analyzing the received light amount.

6 illustrates the light receiver 200 in the iris recognition mode in the optical sensor device of the present invention. 6 shows the pixel 211 activated by the light receiver 200.

As described above, in the iris recognition mode, an image of the iris is optically photographed. The signal processor 300 analyzes a unique pattern of the iris from the photographed iris image. Therefore, for this purpose, an image having a certain number of pixels or more is required. Therefore, in the iris recognition mode, the image of the iris is photographed using more pixels than in the proximity sensing mode.

Herein, the light receiving unit 200 activates a relatively large number of pixels, which means that all pixels of the light receiving unit 200 are activated, and a pixel used for imaging in the light receiving unit 200 in a conventional optical sensor. Therefore, activating the plurality of pixels of the light receiving unit 200 in the iris recognition mode not only uses all the pixels that the actual light receiving unit 200 has, as shown in FIG. As shown in b), all of the pixels of the light receiving unit 200 are used as much as the pixels used in a typical optical sensor.

FIG. 7 illustrates the light receiver 200 in the proximity sensing mode in the optical sensor device of the present invention. In FIG. 7, the pixel 212 activated by the light receiver 200 is displayed.

In the proximity sensing mode, the amount of light received by the light emitter 100 reflected by the proximity object is measured. Since the shape of the image formed in the light receiving unit 200 is not measured by the irradiated light, it is not required to detect light with a large number of pixels such as an iris recognition mode. Therefore, in the proximity sensing mode, light may be detected by activating some of the pixels of the light receiver 200 activated in the iris recognition mode. In detail, in the proximity sensing mode, one or two or more selected pixels of the pixels of the light receiver 200 may be used. The pixel 212 selected in the proximity sensing mode is preferably within 10% of the pixel used in the iris recognition mode.

For example, the selected pixel 212 may be a plurality of pixels positioned adjacent to each other, as shown in FIG. 7A. In addition, as illustrated in (b) of FIG. 7, the plurality of selected pixels may be a plurality of pixels that are spaced apart from each other in the light receiving unit 200. In addition, the selected pixel may be one pixel of the light receiver 200 as illustrated in FIG. 7C.

In proximity sensing mode, when a selected pixel is used to sense light, it means that the selected pixel is powered and activated and receives light and converts it into an electrical signal. On the other hand, unselected pixels are powered off and deactivated. This approach minimizes the power consumed in proximity sensing mode.

Hereinafter, an optical sensor device and an optical sensing method according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying FIG. 8. In describing the present embodiment, a description will be given focusing on differences from the above-described embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 8, the light emitter 100 of the optical sensor device includes a first light emitter 101 and a second light emitter 102. The first light emitting part 101 and the second light emitting part 102 are separate light emitting devices capable of independently emitting light. The first light emitting unit 101 may operate at a higher power source than the second light emitting unit 102 and may emit light of higher power. The first light emitter 101 may be used in the iris recognition mode, and the second light emitter 102 may be used in the proximity sensing mode.

The optical sensor device as described above has the advantage of performing iris recognition and proximity sensing using one light emitter 100 and one light receiver 200. In the meantime, the above-described optical sensor device has an advantage of minimizing power consumption by adjusting a range of pixels activated according to an operation mode.

In the above, embodiments of the optical sensor device and the optical sensing method of the present invention have been described. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and variations will be possible in view of those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be defined not only by the claims of the present specification but also by the equivalents of the claims.

Claims

A controller for determining an operation mode;

A light emitting unit emitting light of a specific wavelength; And

It includes a plurality of pixels, including a light receiving unit for detecting that the emitted light is reflected on the object,

The light receiving unit detects light by activating all or part of the plurality of pixels when the controller determines an operation mode as an iris recognition mode, and activates the iris recognition mode when the controller determines an operation mode as a proximity sensing mode. Optical sensor device that detects light by activating some of the pixels.
According to claim 1,

The light emitting unit emits light at a first level of power when the controller determines the iris recognition mode, and emits light at a second level of power when the controller determines the proximity sensing mode.
The method of claim 2,

And the power of the first level is higher than the power of the second level.
According to claim 1,

The light emitting unit includes an iris recognition light emitting unit for emitting light when the control unit determines that the iris recognition mode and a proximity sensing light emitting unit for emitting light when the control unit determines the proximity sensing mode.
According to claim 1,

The pixel activated in the proximity sensing mode includes at least two pixels positioned adjacent to the light receiving unit.
According to claim 1,

The pixel activated in the proximity sensing mode includes at least two pixels spaced apart from each other in the light receiver.
According to claim 1,

The pixel activated in the proximity sensing mode is one pixel.
According to claim 1,

The light emitting unit emits light in the infrared wavelength band.
Determining an operation mode;

If it is determined that the iris recognition mode, emitting light to the iris, detecting that the emitted light is reflected by the iris with a plurality of pixels, and recognizing information of the iris; And

If it is determined in the proximity sensing mode, emitting light to the proximity object, detecting that the emitted light is reflected by the proximity object using only a selected pixel of the plurality of pixels, and recognizing whether the object is in proximity. Optical sensing method.
The method of claim 9,

And the light emitted to the iris in the iris recognition mode is light having more power than the light emitted to the proximity object in the proximity sensing mode.
The method of claim 9,

The light emitted to the iris and the light emitted to the proximity object is emitted from the same light emitting portion, the power of the light emitted according to the input power is an optical sensing method.
The method of claim 9,

And at least some selected pixels of the plurality of pixels include at least two pixels positioned adjacent to each other.
The method of claim 9,

And at least some selected pixels of the plurality of pixels include at least two pixels spaced apart from each other.
The method of claim 9,

And a selected portion of the plurality of pixels is one pixel.
The method of claim 9,

And other unselected pixels of the plurality of pixels are deactivated.
The method of claim 9,

The emitting light is an optical sensing method of the infrared wavelength band light.