CN110799988B - Fingerprint identification device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A fingerprint identification device and electronic equipment are applied to the electronic equipment with a flexible display screen, and can realize the under-screen fingerprint identification of the flexible display screen. The device comprises: the device comprises: a support structure for being at least partially disposed within a light-transmitting region below the flexible display screen, the support structure for supporting the flexible display screen; the optical fingerprint module is used for being arranged on the supporting structure, and the optical fingerprint module is used for collecting optical signals reflected or scattered by fingers above the flexible display screen and transmitted from the light transmission area.

Description

Fingerprint identification device and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the field of biological feature recognition, and more particularly relates to a fingerprint recognition device and electronic equipment.

Background

The technology for identifying the fingerprints under the optical screen is characterized in that the optical fingerprint module collects reflected light formed by reflecting light rays emitted by the light source on the finger above the display screen, and fingerprint information of the finger is carried in the reflected light, so that the fingerprint identification under the screen is realized. For the electronic equipment adopting the flexible display screen, when the finger presses the flexible display screen to carry out fingerprint identification, the flexible display screen is soft in material, so that deformation can occur in the finger pressing area, the user experience is influenced, the fingerprint identification performance of the optical fingerprint module is also influenced, and even the flexible display screen and the optical fingerprint module can be damaged.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a fingerprint identification device and electronic equipment, which can realize the under-screen fingerprint identification of a flexible display screen.

In a first aspect, a fingerprint recognition device is provided, for application to an electronic apparatus having a flexible display screen, the device comprising:

a support structure for being at least partially disposed within a light-transmitting region below the flexible display screen, the support structure for supporting the flexible display screen;

the optical fingerprint module is used for being arranged on the supporting structure, and the optical fingerprint module is used for collecting optical signals reflected or scattered by fingers above the flexible display screen and transmitted from the light transmission area.

In one possible implementation, the support structure is a boss structure, and the boss structure has a boss located in the light-transmitting region.

In one possible implementation, the raised portion is located below a foam layer of the flexible display screen.

In one possible implementation, the edge of the protruding portion is connected with the foam layer of the flexible display screen through foam or a glue film.

In one possible implementation, the non-protruding portion of the boss structure is located below a center frame of the electronic device.

In one possible implementation manner, the upper surface of the non-protruding portion is adhered to the lower surface of the middle frame through glue or a glue film.

In one possible implementation manner, a metal sheet is arranged between the flexible display screen and the middle frame of the electronic device, and a light transmission window is arranged on the metal sheet and is positioned in the light transmission area, wherein the non-protruding portion is positioned below the metal sheet.

In one possible implementation, the upper surface of the non-protruding portion is adhered to the lower surface of the metal sheet by glue or a film.

In one possible implementation, the raised portion is formed by cured glue and the non-raised portion is a transparent flat plate adhered under the raised portion.

In one possible implementation, the raised portion is formed by filling the glue before curing inside the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet and curing.

In one possible implementation, the upper surface of the boss is the same height as the upper surface of the metal sheet.

In one possible implementation, the protruding portion and the upper surface of the metal sheet are covered with an overflow glue layer formed by the glue overflowing the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet before curing.

In one possible implementation, the glue is an ultraviolet curing UV glue.

In one possible implementation, the boss structure is integrally made of a transparent material.

In one possible implementation, the transparent material is transparent glass or resin.

In one possible implementation, a spacer layer is present between the flexible display screen and the support structure.

In one possible implementation, the spacer layer is an air spacer layer.

In a possible implementation, the spacer layer is provided with at least one through hole for transmitting the optical signal.

In one possible implementation, the spacer layer is a foam layer or a metal layer.

In one possible implementation, the support structure is provided with a plurality of through holes for transmitting the optical signals.

In one possible implementation, the support structure is a foam layer or a metal layer.

In one possible implementation, the apparatus further includes: and the buffer layer is used for being arranged between the flexible display screen and the supporting structure.

In one possible implementation, the buffer layer is fixed to a lower surface of the flexible display screen.

In one possible implementation, the spacer layer is located between the buffer layer and the support structure.

In one possible implementation, the buffer layer is fixed to the upper surface of the support structure.

In one possible implementation, the spacer layer is located between the buffer layer and the flexible display screen.

In one possible implementation, the upper surface of the buffer layer is adhered to the lower surface of the flexible display screen, and the lower surface of the buffer layer is adhered to the upper surface of the boss structure.

In one possible implementation, the buffer layer includes one or more layers of transparent film material.

In one possible implementation, the optical fingerprint module is fixed on the lower surface of the support structure.

In a second aspect, a method for manufacturing a supporting structure, where the supporting structure is used for supporting a flexible display screen of an electronic device, and the supporting structure is a boss structure, is provided, and the method includes:

placing a metal sheet for placement below the flexible display screen horizontally on one side of an auxiliary flat panel, wherein the auxiliary flat panel covers a light-transmitting window of the metal sheet;

Dispensing glue in a liquid state on the part of the auxiliary flat plate, which is positioned in the light-transmitting window;

covering a transparent flat plate on the light-transmitting window from the other side of the auxiliary flat plate so that the glue in a liquid state fills the light-transmitting window;

and curing the glue in a liquid state to obtain the boss structure, wherein the convex part of the boss structure is the cured glue, and the non-convex part of the boss structure is the transparent flat plate.

In one possible implementation the upper surface of the protrusion is the same height as the upper surface of the metal sheet.

In one possible implementation, the protruding portion and the upper surface of the metal sheet are covered with an overflow glue layer formed by the glue overflowing the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet before curing.

In one possible implementation the glue is a cured glue such as a thermosetting glue or a UV glue.

In one possible implementation, the transparent plate is made of transparent glass or transparent resin.

In a second aspect, there is provided a terminal device comprising:

a flexible display screen; and means for fingerprint identification in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

In one possible implementation, the electronic device further includes a middle frame.

In one possible implementation, a metal sheet is disposed between the flexible display screen and the middle frame.

Based on the technical scheme, through set up bearing structure in the printing opacity region of flexible display screen below for bearing structure can provide the supporting role for flexible display screen, reduces the deformation that the flexible display screen leads to is pressed to finger in the fingerprint identification process, avoids the damage to flexible display screen. And, because the optical fingerprint module sets up on bearing structure, consequently can adjust the distance between optical fingerprint module and the flexible display screen through bearing structure is nimble, improves fingerprint identification's performance. In addition, because decoupling has been realized between optical fingerprint module and the flexible display screen, the dismantlement and the installation of optical fingerprint module of being convenient for are favorable to the maintenance of optical fingerprint module.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device to which the present application can be applied.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the electronic device shown in fig. 1 along A-A'.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for fingerprint recognition according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the various components of the fingerprint recognition device of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 (a) to 8 (c) are schematic diagrams of a buffer layer according to an embodiment of the application.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 11 is a schematic flow chart of a method of fabricating a support structure according to an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a metal sheet according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 13 is a schematic view of a boss structure fabricated using the method shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 14 is a schematic view of a boss structure fabricated based on the method shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 15 is a schematic view of an overflow glue line.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of a possible structure of a fingerprint recognition device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application may be applied to optical fingerprint systems, including but not limited to optical fingerprint identification systems and medical diagnostic products based on optical fingerprint imaging, and the embodiments of the present application are only described by way of example in terms of optical fingerprint systems, but should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application in any way, and the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to other systems employing optical imaging techniques, etc.

As a common application scenario, the optical fingerprint system provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to smart phones, tablet computers and other mobile terminals or other terminal devices with display screens; more specifically, in the above terminal device, the optical fingerprint module may be specifically an optical fingerprint module, which may be disposed in a partial area or an entire area Under the display screen, thereby forming an Under-screen (Under-display or Under-screen) optical fingerprint system. Alternatively, the optical fingerprint module may be partially or fully integrated into the display screen of the terminal device, so as to form an In-screen (In-display or In-screen) optical fingerprint system.

Fig. 1 and 2 show schematic diagrams of electronic devices to which embodiments of the present application may be applied. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 10, and fig. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10 shown in fig. 1 along A-A'.

The terminal device 10 includes a display 120 and an optical fingerprint module 130. The optical fingerprint module 130 is disposed in a local area below the display screen 120. The optical fingerprint module 130 includes an optical fingerprint sensor including a sensing array 133 having a plurality of optical sensing units 131. The sensing area of the sensing array 133 or the sensing area thereof is the fingerprint detection area 121 (also referred to as a fingerprint collection area, a fingerprint identification area, etc.) of the optical fingerprint module 130. As shown in fig. 1, the fingerprint detection area 121 is located in the display area of the display screen 120. In an alternative embodiment, the optical fingerprint module 130 may be further disposed at other locations, such as a side of the display screen 120 or an edge non-transparent area of the terminal device 10, and the optical signal from at least a portion of the display area of the display screen 120 is guided to the optical fingerprint module 130 through an optical path design, so that the fingerprint detection area 121 is actually located in the display area of the display screen 120.

It should be appreciated that the area of the fingerprint detection area 121 may be different from the area of the sensing array 133 of the optical fingerprint module 130, for example, by a light path design such as lens imaging, a reflective folded light path design, or other light path designs such as light converging or reflecting, the area of the fingerprint detection area 121 of the optical fingerprint module 130 may be made larger than the area of the sensing array 133 of the optical fingerprint module 130. In other alternative implementations, if the light path is guided, for example, by light collimation, the fingerprint detection area 121 of the optical fingerprint module 130 may be designed to substantially coincide with the area of the sensing array of the optical fingerprint module 130.

Therefore, when the user needs to unlock the terminal device or perform other fingerprint verification, the user only needs to press the finger against the fingerprint detection area 121 located on the display screen 120, so as to implement fingerprint input. Since fingerprint detection can be implemented in the screen, the terminal device 10 adopting the above structure does not need to have a special reserved space on the front surface to set fingerprint keys (such as Home keys), so that a comprehensive screen scheme can be adopted, that is, the display area of the display screen 120 can be basically expanded to the front surface of the whole terminal device 10.

As an alternative implementation, as shown in fig. 1, the optical fingerprint module 130 includes a light detecting portion 134 and an optical component 132. The light detecting part 134 includes the sensing array 133 and a reading circuit and other auxiliary circuits electrically connected to the sensing array 133, which may be fabricated on a chip (Die) such as an optical imaging chip or an optical fingerprint sensor by a semiconductor process. The sensing array 133 is specifically a Photo detector (Photo detector) array, which includes a plurality of Photo detectors distributed in an array, which may be used as an optical sensing unit as described above. The optical component 132 may be disposed above the sensing array 133 of the light detecting portion 134, and may specifically include a Filter layer (Filter), a light guiding layer or a light path guiding structure, and other optical elements, where the Filter layer may be used to Filter out ambient light penetrating the finger, and the light guiding layer or the light path guiding structure is mainly used to guide reflected light reflected from the finger surface to the sensing array 133 for optical detection.

In particular implementations, the optical assembly 132 may be packaged in the same optical fingerprint component as the light detection section 134. For example, the optical component 132 may be packaged in the same optical fingerprint chip as the optical detecting portion 134, or the optical component 132 may be disposed outside the chip in which the optical detecting portion 134 is located, for example, the optical component 132 is attached to the chip, or some of the components of the optical component 132 are integrated in the chip.

The light guiding layer or the light path guiding structure of the optical component 132 may have various implementations, for example, the light guiding layer may be a Collimator (Collimator) layer made of a semiconductor silicon wafer, which has a plurality of collimating units or a micropore array, the collimating units may be small holes, the light vertically incident to the collimating units from the reflected light reflected by the finger may pass through and be received by the optical sensing units below the collimating units, and the light with an excessively large incident angle is attenuated by multiple reflections inside the collimating units, so each optical sensing unit basically only receives the reflected light reflected by the fingerprint lines right above the optical sensing units, and the sensing array 133 may detect the fingerprint image of the finger.

In another embodiment, the light guiding layer or the light path guiding structure may also be an optical Lens (Lens) layer, which has one or more Lens units, such as a Lens group consisting of one or more aspheric lenses, for converging the reflected light reflected from the finger to the sensing array 133 of the light detecting part 134 thereunder, so that the sensing array 133 may image based on the reflected light, thereby obtaining a fingerprint image of the finger. Optionally, the optical lens layer may further form a pinhole in the optical path of the lens unit, and the pinhole may cooperate with the optical lens layer to expand the field of view of the optical fingerprint module 130, so as to improve the fingerprint imaging effect of the optical fingerprint module 130.

In other embodiments, the light guiding layer or the light path guiding structure may also specifically employ a Micro-Lens layer having a Micro Lens array formed of a plurality of Micro lenses, which may be formed over the sensing array 133 of the light sensing part 134 by a semiconductor growth process or other processes, and each Micro Lens may correspond to one of sensing units of the sensing array 133, respectively. And, other optical film layers, such as a dielectric layer or a passivation layer, can be formed between the microlens layer and the sensing unit. More specifically, a light blocking layer (or referred to as a light blocking layer) having micro holes may be further included between the micro lens layer and the sensing unit, wherein the micro holes are formed between their corresponding micro lenses and the sensing unit, and the light blocking layer may block optical interference between adjacent micro lenses and the sensing unit, and allow light corresponding to the sensing unit to be converged into the micro holes through the micro lenses and transmitted to the sensing unit via the micro holes for optical fingerprint imaging.

It should be appreciated that several implementations of the light guiding layer or light path guiding structure described above may be used alone or in combination. For example, a microlens layer may be further provided above or below the collimator layer or the optical lens layer. Of course, when the collimator layer or the optical lens layer is used in combination with the microlens layer, the specific laminated structure or the optical path thereof may need to be adjusted according to actual needs.

As an alternative embodiment, the display 120 may be a display having a self-luminous display unit, such as an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display or a Micro-LED (Micro-LED) display. Taking an OLED display as an example, the optical fingerprint module 130 may use a display unit (i.e., an OLED light source) of the OLED display 120 located in the fingerprint detection area 121 as an excitation light source for optical fingerprint detection. When the finger 140 is pressed against the fingerprint detection area 121, the display 120 emits a beam of light 111 towards the target finger 140 above the fingerprint detection area 121, which light 111 is reflected at the surface of the finger 140 to form reflected light or scattered inside the finger 140 to form scattered light. In the related patent application, the above reflected light and scattered light are collectively referred to as reflected light for convenience of description. Since the ridge (ridge) 141 and the valley (valley) 142 of the fingerprint have different light reflection capacities, the reflected light 151 from the ridge and the reflected light 152 from the valley have different light intensities, and the reflected light is received by the sensing array 133 in the optical fingerprint module 130 and converted into corresponding electrical signals, i.e. fingerprint detection signals after passing through the optical component 132; fingerprint image data can be obtained based on the fingerprint detection signal, and fingerprint matching verification can be further performed, thereby realizing an optical fingerprint recognition function at the terminal device 10.

In other embodiments, the optical fingerprint module 130 may also use an internal light source or an external light source to provide an optical signal for fingerprint detection. In this case, the optical fingerprint module 130 may be adapted to a non-self-luminous display screen, such as a liquid crystal display screen or other passive light emitting display screen. Taking the application to a liquid crystal display having a backlight module and a liquid crystal panel as an example, in order to support the under-screen fingerprint detection of the liquid crystal display, the optical fingerprint system of the terminal device 10 may further include an excitation light source for optical fingerprint detection, where the excitation light source may be specifically an infrared light source or a light source of non-visible light with a specific wavelength, which may be disposed below the backlight module of the liquid crystal display or an edge region below a protective cover plate of the terminal device 10, and the optical fingerprint module 130 may be disposed below the edge region of the liquid crystal panel or the protective cover plate and guided by an optical path so that fingerprint detection light may reach the optical fingerprint module 130; alternatively, the optical fingerprint module 130 may be disposed below the backlight module, and the backlight module may be configured to allow the fingerprint detection light to pass through the liquid crystal panel and the backlight module and reach the optical fingerprint module 130 by making holes or other optical designs on the film layers such as the diffusion sheet, the brightness enhancement sheet, and the reflection sheet. When the optical fingerprint module 130 is used to provide an optical signal for fingerprint detection using an internal light source or an external light source, the detection principle is consistent with the above description.

It should be appreciated that in a specific implementation, the terminal device 10 further includes a transparent protective cover plate, which may be a glass cover plate or a sapphire cover plate, that is positioned over the display screen 120 and covers the front side of the terminal device 10. Thus, in the embodiment of the present application, the pressing of the finger against the display screen 120 actually means pressing the cover plate above the display screen 120 or the surface of the protective layer covering the cover plate.

On the other hand, in some embodiments, the optical fingerprint module 130 may include only one optical fingerprint sensor, where the area of the fingerprint detection area 121 of the optical fingerprint module 130 is smaller and the position is fixed, so that the user needs to press the finger to a specific position of the fingerprint detection area 121 when inputting the fingerprint, otherwise, the optical fingerprint module 130 may not be able to collect the fingerprint image, resulting in poor user experience. In other alternative embodiments, the optical fingerprint module 130 may specifically include a plurality of optical fingerprint sensors. The optical fingerprint sensors may be disposed side by side below the display screen 120 in a spliced manner, and the sensing areas of the optical fingerprint sensors together form a fingerprint detection area 121 of the optical fingerprint module 130. That is, the fingerprint detection area 121 of the optical fingerprint module 130 may include a plurality of sub-areas, each corresponding to a sensing area of one of the optical fingerprint sensors, so that the fingerprint detection area 121 of the optical fingerprint module 130 may be extended to a main area of the lower half of the display screen, that is, to a finger usual pressing area, thereby implementing a blind press type fingerprint input operation. Alternatively, when the number of optical fingerprint sensors is sufficient, the fingerprint detection area 121 may also be extended to half or even the whole display area, thereby achieving half-screen or full-screen fingerprint detection.

In an embodiment of the present application, the display 120 may be a flexible display, or a folding display. For example, the display 120 may be made of a flexible material such as plastic or metal.

The display 120 shown in fig. 1 is an out-turned folded display, and the display area of the display 120 is outside the display 120. Embodiments of the present application are also applicable to an inverted folded display where the display area of display 120 may be on the inside of display 120.

When the display screen 120 is a flexible display screen, the transparent protective cover plate above the display screen 120 may be a flexible cover plate for protecting the display screen 120. The material of the flexible cover plate may be, for example, a flexible material such as Polyimide Film (PI). The flexible cover plate can not provide supporting function for the display screen 120, in this case, when the user presses the display screen 120, because the material of the display screen 120 is soft, the portion of the display screen 120 in the pressing area can deform, so that not only user experience is affected, but also fingerprint identification performance of the optical fingerprint module is possibly affected, and even damage to the flexible display screen 120 and the optical fingerprint module is possibly caused.

In view of this, the embodiment of the application provides a fingerprint identification device, which can realize the under-screen fingerprint identification of a flexible display screen.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a fingerprint recognition apparatus 300 according to an embodiment of the present application. The fingerprint recognition apparatus 300 is applied to an electronic device having a flexible display screen 310. The fingerprint identification device 300 includes a support structure 320 and an optical fingerprint module 330.

A support structure 320 is configured to be disposed at least partially within the light-transmissive region below the flexible display screen 310, the support structure 320 being configured to support the flexible display screen 310.

The optical fingerprint module 330 is configured to be disposed on the support structure 320, and the optical fingerprint module 330 is configured to collect optical signals reflected or scattered by a finger above the flexible display screen 310 and transmitted from the light-transmitting area.

The light-transmitting region is understood to be the region for transmitting the light signal for fingerprint recognition, i.e. the region through which the light rays pass during fingerprint recognition.

Because the supporting structure 320 is arranged between the flexible display screen 310 and the optical fingerprint module 330, when fingerprint identification is performed, the part of the flexible display screen 310 in the finger pressing area can not be seriously deformed due to the support of the supporting structure 320, so that the user experience is improved, and the influence on the fingerprint identification performance of the optical fingerprint module 330 is avoided.

The flexible display 310 may be, for example, a flexible LCD display or a flexible OLED display. The light emitting layer of the flexible OLED display may include a plurality of organic light emitting diode light sources, and the optical fingerprint module 330 may use at least some of the organic light emitting diode light sources as excitation light sources for fingerprint recognition.

The flexible display screen 310 may correspond to the display screen 120 shown in fig. 1 and 2. For example, the flexible display screen 310 may include at least one of: flexible cover glass, a touch control layer, a polaroid, an OLED light-emitting layer, a foam layer, a display shading heat dissipation buffer layer, a metal layer, various adhesive layers such as OCA or PET, and the like. For the relevant description, reference may be made to the foregoing description about the display 120, and for brevity, the description is omitted here.

The optical fingerprint module 330 may correspond to the optical fingerprint module 130 of fig. 1 and 2. The optical fingerprint module 330 may include an optical component and an optical fingerprint sensor. The optical component is used for guiding the optical signal to the optical fingerprint sensor, and the optical fingerprint sensor is used for acquiring fingerprint information of the finger according to the acquired optical signal.

The optical component comprises optical elements such as an optical filter, an optical path modulator and the like. The light path modulator may for example consist of an array of collimator holes, or of at least one lens, or of an array of micro lenses. In addition, the optical fingerprint module 330 may further include a flexible circuit board or the like.

The fingerprint detection area of the optical fingerprint module 330 is at least partially located in the display area of the flexible display screen 310, and a light transmission area is located below the fingerprint detection area, and is used for light transmission. The light signal reflected or scattered by the finger on the fingerprint detection area passes through the light transmission area and reaches the optical fingerprint module 330. The optical fingerprint module 330 performs fingerprint recognition according to the collected optical signal. The support structure 320 may be used to support a portion of the flexible display screen 310 within the fingerprint detection area in particular to prevent sagging of the portion of the flexible display screen 310 located within the fingerprint detection area. Alternatively, the support structure 320 is used to support the portion of the flexible display screen 310 that is above the light transmissive region.

The description of the optical fingerprint module 330 may refer to the description of the optical fingerprint module 130 in fig. 1 and 2, and is not repeated here for brevity.

The optical fingerprint module 330 may be adhered to the lower surface of the support structure 320 by a material such as glue or a glue film, for example, the optical fingerprint module 330 includes an optical path modulator composed of an array of alignment holes; the optical fingerprint module 330 may also be fixed on the lower surface of the support structure 320 by a fingerprint module holder, for example, the optical fingerprint module 330 includes an optical path modulator composed of lenses or microlenses. In addition, the optical fingerprint module 330 may be fixed on the support structure 320 by other manners, such as mechanical fixing, for example, screw fixing, etc., which is not limited in the present application.

Alternatively, the optical fingerprint module 330 may be fixed on the middle frame. For example, the edge of the optical fingerprint module 330 is adhered to the lower surface of the middle frame, or the optical fingerprint module 330 is adhered to the lower surface of the middle frame through its circuit board, or the edge of the light-transmitting window of the middle frame 340 is provided with a step and the optical fingerprint module 330 is fixed on the step structure of the lower surface of the middle frame.

In general, the center 340 of the electronic device may be used to support the flexible display screen 310 as well as to secure other components. The middle frame 340 has a light-transmitting window, and the light-transmitting window is located below the fingerprint detection area, so that the light signal reflected or scattered by the finger above the fingerprint detection area can be transmitted to the optical fingerprint module 330 through the light-transmitting window.

The middle frame 340 may not provide full screen support for the flexible display screen 310 due to the various holes and slots, etc. provided on the middle frame 340 for securing other structures and components.

At this time, a metal sheet 370, such as a steel sheet, may be disposed between the center 340 of the electronic device and the flexible display screen 310. The metal sheet 370 is provided with a light-transmitting window, which is located below the fingerprint detection area and is used for transmitting the light signal reflected or scattered by the finger above the fingerprint detection area, so that the light signal can reach the optical fingerprint module 330.

Thus, the support structure 320 may be used to support portions of the flexible display screen 310 that are located within the fingerprint detection area, while the metal sheet 370 may be used to support portions of the flexible display screen 310 that are located outside the fingerprint detection area, thereby enabling full screen support of the flexible display screen 310.

The thickness of the metal sheet 370 is not limited in the embodiment of the present application, and may be, for example, 0 to 300 micrometers, or 50 to 200 micrometers.

The metal sheet 370 may be fabricated with the flexible display screen 310 as part of the flexible display screen 310; or may be formed with the middle frame 340 so as to be installed between the flexible display screen 310 and the middle frame 340 as a part of the middle frame 340 or as a separate component from the flexible display screen 310 and the middle frame 340.

Assuming that the fingerprint recognition device 300 is not provided with a support structure 320, for example, as shown in fig. 4, fig. 4 shows a flexible display screen 310, an optical fingerprint module 330, and a middle frame 340. The foam layer 311 of the flexible display screen 310 is connected with the middle frame 340 through the foam layer 341. The optical fingerprint module 330 is connected with the middle frame 340 through the foam layer 331. The foam layer 341 and the foam layer 331 may be replaced by other adhesive materials such as adhesive films and glue.

The foam layer in the embodiment of the application can be considered to comprise foam and back glue on the upper surface and the lower surface of the foam, so that the foam layer can also be called foam glue, and can play roles of bonding, buffering and the like.

The light-transmitting window of the foam layer 311 and the light-transmitting window of the middle frame 340 shown in fig. 4 form the above-described light-transmitting region for transmitting an optical signal. The optical fingerprint module 330 is located below the light-transmitting area. The light signal reflected or scattered by the finger on the fingerprint detection area 312 is transmitted to the optical fingerprint module 330 through the light transmission area, and the optical fingerprint module 330 performs fingerprint identification according to the collected light signal.

Due to the softness of the material of the flexible display screen 310, a distinct level difference region is formed at the fingerprint detection area 312 within the flexible display screen 310. The level difference region not only reduces the user experience, but may also cause damage to the flexible display screen 310 due to finger pressure and affect the fingerprint recognition performance of the optical fingerprint module 330.

In order to support the flexible display screen 310, in the embodiment of the present application, a support structure 320 is disposed in the light-transmitting area under the flexible display screen 310, for supporting the level difference area.

The support structure 320 should have a certain stiffness. Meanwhile, the support structure 320 should be capable of transmitting an optical signal so that the optical signal reflected or scattered by the finger can be transmitted to the optical fingerprint module 330.

Accordingly, the support structure 320 may be transparent, for example, the support structure 320 may be made of a transparent material such as optical glass or optical resin. Alternatively, a plurality of through holes may be provided on the support structure 320, and the plurality of through holes are used to transmit optical signals.

Alternatively, the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320 may be held snugly together; alternatively, preferably, a spacer layer 350 is present between the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320.

For example, the spacer layer 350 may be an air spacer layer, i.e., an air gap exists between the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320.

For another example, the spacer layer 350 may be a foam layer or a metal layer, and at least one through hole is provided on the spacer layer 350 so that an optical signal is transmitted through the at least one through hole. Corresponding to the arrangement of through holes for transmitting optical signals on the foam layer or the metal layer.

When there is a small distance between the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320, interference fringes caused by deformation of the flexible display screen 310 may affect the fingerprint recognition performance of the optical fingerprint module 330, which is also referred to as "water ripple". And when the distance between the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320 is too large, finger pressure may cause damage to the flexible display screen 310. Thus, the spacer layer 350 between the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320 should have a suitable thickness.

The thickness of the spacer layer 350 is not limited in this embodiment, and may be, for example, 100-150 μm.

Since the optical fingerprint module 330 is fixed on the support structure 320, the size of the spacer layer 350 between the optical fingerprint module 330 and the flexible display screen 310 can be indirectly adjusted by adjusting the installation position of the support structure 320 in the vertical direction, so that the deformation space of the flexible display screen 310 is reduced while interference fringes generated by deformation of the flexible display screen 310 are avoided.

Optionally, the fingerprinting apparatus 300 further comprises a buffer layer 360. Wherein the buffer layer 360 is configured to be disposed between the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320.

For example, the buffer layer 360 may be fixed to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310, such as by being adhered to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310 through a glue layer.

At this time, spacer layer 350 is positioned between buffer layer 360 and support structure 320.

For another example, the buffer layer 360 is fixed on the upper surface of the support structure 320, such as by being adhered to the upper surface of the support structure 320 by an adhesive layer.

At this time, the spacer layer 350 is positioned between the buffer layer 360 and the flexible display screen 310.

For another example, two buffer layers 360 may be provided, one buffer layer 360 being fixed to the upper surface of the support structure 320 and the other buffer layer 360 being fixed to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310.

At this time, the spacer layer 350 is located between the two buffer layers 360.

The adhesive layer may be, for example, an optically clear adhesive (Optically Clear Adhesive, OCA), a transparent glue, a transparent adhesive film, or the like.

For another example, an upper surface of the buffer layer 360 is adhered to a lower surface of the flexible display screen 310, and a lower surface of the buffer layer 360 is adhered to an upper surface of the support structure 320, such as an upper surface of a boss of the boss structure.

At this point, spacer layer 350 is not present between flexible display screen 310 and support structure 320. Since the flexible display screen 310 and the support structure 320 are closely attached to the buffer layer 360 therebetween, there is no minute distance and no interference fringes are generally generated.

The hardness of the buffer layer 360 should be in a proper range to buffer the pressing force of the finger to the flexible display screen 310, so the buffer layer 360 may be made of a transparent soft film material such as plastic, silicone, adhesive film, etc., for example, polyurethane (Thermoplastic Polyurethanes, TPU), polyimide (PI), or polyester (Polyethylene Terephthalate, PET), etc.

At this time, the buffer layer 360 may not only play a role in buffering the pressing force of the finger on the flexible display screen 310, but also indirectly adjust the size of the gap 350 between the support structure 320 and the flexible display screen 310 by adjusting the thickness of the buffer layer 360. In addition, the buffer layer 360 fixed to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310 also reinforces the flexible display screen 310 to some extent.

Buffer layer 360 may be one or more layers of transparent film.

That is, the buffer layer 360 may be a single material layer; it may also be a composite layer, i.e. composed of a plurality of layers of material, for example, the buffer layer 360 comprises an OCA glue layer, a PET layer and an OCA glue layer in that order from top to bottom.

The present application implementation provides two implementations of the support structure 320.

In one implementation, the support structure 320 is a boss structure.

Optionally, the raised portions of the boss structure are located in a light transmissive region below the flexible display screen 310.

Further optionally, the raised portion is located below the foam layer 311 of the flexible display screen 310. For example, the edge of the protruding portion is connected to the foam layer 311 by an adhesive material such as foam or a glue layer.

Optionally, the non-raised portions of the boss structure are located outside the light-transmitting region below the flexible display screen 310.

Further optionally, the non-raised portion is located below the middle frame 340, or alternatively, below the metal sheet 370. For example, the upper surface of the non-protruding portion is adhered to the lower surface of the middle frame 340 or the metal sheet 370 by a glue layer.

The adhesive layer can be foam, OCA, glue or adhesive film, for example.

It will be appreciated that the raised portion of the boss structure extends into the light-transmitting region below the flexible display screen 310, for example, to connect with the lower surface of the foam layer 311 of the flexible display screen itself; while the non-raised portions of the boss structure are located outside the light-transmitting region, such as in connection with the lower surface of the middle frame 340 or metal sheet 370.

In the embodiment of the present application, since the light-transmitting area needs to be disposed below the fingerprint detection area 312 in the flexible display screen 310 so as to transmit the optical signal for fingerprint identification, the support structure 320 is filled in the light-transmitting area to support the portion of the flexible display screen 310 in the fingerprint detection area 312, so that when a finger presses the fingerprint detection area 312 to perform fingerprint identification, the flexible display screen 310 will not deform significantly.

The support structure 320 in this implementation is described below in connection with fig. 5-9.

Fig. 5 shows a flexible display screen 310, a support structure 320, a buffer layer 360, a metal sheet 370, a center 340, and an optical fingerprint module 330. The buffer layer 360 is a transparent flexible film material, and is fixed on the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310. A metal sheet 370 is adhered under the foam layer 311 of the flexible display screen 310. The metal sheet 370 is connected with the middle frame 340 through foam 341, wherein the foam 341 plays a role of connection and buffering, and can be replaced by adhesive materials such as glue, adhesive film and the like.

The supporting structure 320 is a boss structure, the protruding portion of the boss structure faces upwards, the protruding portion extends into the light-transmitting area below the flexible display screen 310, and the non-protruding portion of the boss structure is located outside the light-transmitting area. Specifically, the protruding portion of the boss structure is located below the foam layer 311, and the edge of the protruding portion is fixed to the edge of the light-transmitting window of the foam layer 311 through foam 351, where the foam layer 311 is a foam layer of the flexible display screen 310. The non-protruding portion of the boss structure is located below the middle frame 340, and the non-protruding portion is fixed on the edge of the light-transmitting window of the middle frame 340 through a glue layer 321, where the glue layer 321 may be a glue film or a glue adhesive material.

The boss structure is snapped into the light-transmitting area under the flexible display screen 310. And a spacer layer 350 is present between the upper surface of the raised portion of the mesa structure and the buffer layer 360. The thickness of the spacer layer 350 may be indirectly adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the adhesive layer 321 and/or the buffer layer 360, so as to find the optimal imaging position of the optical fingerprint module 330, so that the optical fingerprint module 330 fixed on the lower surface of the boss structure achieves the optimal fingerprint identification effect.

Further, since the vertical position of the boss structure can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the adhesive layer 321, processing and mounting errors of each laminate such as the middle frame 340, the metal sheet 370, and the like can be absorbed.

In addition, as can be seen from fig. 5, the support structure 320 decouples the optical fingerprint module 330 from the flexible display screen 310, so that replacement and maintenance of the optical fingerprint module 330 can be achieved without damaging the flexible display screen 310.

Fig. 6 shows the components of the fingerprint recognition device of fig. 5, wherein a back adhesive is present in an opening area of the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310, the opening area being an opening area formed by a light-transmitting window of the foam layer 311 and the metal sheet 370 etc. of the flexible display screen 310 itself, and the back adhesive is used to attach the buffer layer 360. The buffer layer 360 is adhered to the inner region of the opening by the back adhesive. The middle frame 340 is fixed to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310, and the position of the light-transmitting window of the middle frame 340 is the same as the position of the opening area of the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310. The transparent boss structure 320 is snapped into the light-transmissive window of the middle frame 340. The optical fingerprint module 330 is fixed on the lower surface of the middle frame.

Fig. 7 shows a flexible display screen 310, a support structure 320, a metal sheet 370, a middle frame 340 and an optical fingerprint module 330. In contrast to fig. 5 and 6, the buffer layer 360 is not provided in fig. 7. Wherein a metal sheet 370 is adhered under the foam layer 311 of the flexible display screen 310. The metal sheet 370 is connected with the middle frame 340 through foam 341, wherein the foam 341 plays a role of connection and buffering, and can be replaced by adhesive materials such as glue, adhesive film and the like.

The support structure 320 is a boss structure. The protruding portion of the boss structure is upward, the protruding portion extends into the light-transmitting area below the flexible display screen 310, and the non-protruding portion of the boss structure is located outside the light-transmitting area. Specifically, the edges of the protrusions of the boss structure are connected to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310 through the foam 351, wherein the foam 351 plays a role of connection and buffering. The non-protruding portion of the boss structure is located below the middle frame 340, and the non-protruding portion is fixed on the edge of the light-transmitting window of the middle frame 340 through a glue layer 321, where the glue layer 321 may be a glue film or a glue adhesive material.

The boss structure is snapped into the light-transmitting area under the flexible display screen 310. And a spacer layer 350 is present between the upper surface of the boss structure and the flexible display screen 310. The thickness of the spacer layer 350 can be indirectly adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the adhesive layer 321, so that an optimal imaging position of the optical fingerprint module 330 is found, and the optical fingerprint module 330 fixed on the lower surface of the boss structure achieves an optimal fingerprint identification effect.

Further, since the vertical position of the boss structure can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the adhesive layer 321, processing and mounting errors of each laminate such as the middle frame 340, the metal sheet 370, and the like can be absorbed.

In addition, as can be seen from fig. 7, the support structure 320 decouples the optical fingerprint module 330 from the flexible display screen 310, so that replacement and maintenance of the optical fingerprint module 330 can be achieved without damaging the flexible display screen 310.

The spacer layer 350 shown in fig. 5 and 7 is an air spacer layer. However, the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and the spacer layer 350 capable of implementing optical signal transmission should fall within the protection scope of the present application.

For example, the spacer layer 350 in fig. 6 may be replaced with the spacer layer 350 shown in fig. 8 (a). In fig. 8 (a), the supporting structure 320 is a boss structure, and the boss is upward. A spacer layer 350 above the mesa structure is provided with a plurality of through holes that may be used to transmit optical signals. Therefore, the spacer layer 350 can not only enable the optical fingerprint module 330 to keep a proper distance from the flexible display screen 310 to meet the imaging requirement of the optical fingerprint module 330, but also ensure that the optical signals reflected or scattered by the finger above the flexible display screen 310 can be smoothly transmitted to the optical fingerprint module 330 through the through holes.

The shape and position of the through holes on the spacer layer 350 are not limited in the embodiment of the present application, for example, 4 through holes are taken as an example in the top view of the spacer layer 350 shown in fig. 8 (b) and fig. 8 (c), and the 4 through holes may be arranged side by side or may be uniformly arranged in two vertical directions.

The spacer layer 350 is particularly suitable for the case where the optical fingerprint module 330 is spliced by multiple optical fingerprint sensors. Because the area of the fingerprint detection area of the optical fingerprint module 330 is increased when the optical fingerprint sensors are spliced, the lateral area of the light transmission area below the flexible display screen 310 is also increased. Supporting the flexible display screen 310 in the area of large-area fingerprint acquisition may be accomplished by a non-through-hole area of the spacer layer 350.

For example, replacing the spacer layer 350 shown in fig. 5 with a through-hole spacer layer 350 results in a fingerprint recognition device as shown in fig. 9.

Further, the buffer layer 360 shown in fig. 9 may be removed, thereby obtaining a fingerprint recognition device as shown in fig. 10.

For a detailed description of the various components in fig. 9 and 10, reference may be made to the foregoing description regarding fig. 5, and for brevity, a detailed description is omitted here.

The boss structure may be a single body, for example, the boss structure is integrally formed of a transparent material; the boss structure may also be an assembly, i.e. the boss structure is formed from a combination of different materials, e.g. the boss structure's raised portions and non-raised portions may be made from different materials.

When the boss structure is formed by combining different materials, optionally, the protruding portion of the boss structure is formed by cured glue, and the non-protruding portion of the boss structure is a transparent flat plate adhered below the protruding portion.

For example, the protruding portion is formed by filling the glue before curing inside the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370 and curing.

The glue may be, for example, a cured glue, such as a thermosetting glue or an Ultraviolet (UV) cured glue, etc.

The transparent flat plate may be made of, for example, transparent glass or transparent resin.

Such a boss structure formed of different material compositions as described above can be manufactured by, for example, the method shown in fig. 11.

Fig. 11 is a schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing a support structure, wherein the support structure is the boss structure. As shown in fig. 11, the method 1100 includes:

at 1110, the metal sheet 370 is placed horizontally on one side of the auxiliary panel 380, wherein the auxiliary panel 380 covers the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370.

In 1120, the portion of the auxiliary panel 380 that is within the light-transmissive window is dispensed with glue 322 in a liquid state.

At 1130, a transparent plate 323 is overlaid onto the light-transmitting window from the other side of the auxiliary plate 380 such that the glue 322 in a liquid state fills the light-transmitting window.

In 1140, the glue 322 in a liquid state is cured to obtain the boss structure.

Wherein, the protruding part of the boss structure is the solidified glue 322, and the non-protruding part of the boss structure is the transparent flat plate 323.

The following describes in detail an example of fig. 12 and 13.

Fig. 12 shows a top view of the metal sheet 370. The metal sheet is provided with a light-transmitting window which is located in a light-transmitting area below the flexible display screen 310 and is used for transmitting an optical signal for fingerprint recognition. The light-transmitting window may be any shape, wherein a square is taken as an example of the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet in fig. 12.

Fig. 13 shows a metal sheet 370, an auxiliary plate 380, glue 322 in the now liquid state and a transparent plate 323. The glue 322 is used to form a convex portion of the boss structure, and the transparent flat plate 323 is used as a non-convex portion of the boss structure. The auxiliary panel 380 may be, for example, a non-adhesive panel or film, such as a silicone-bearing glass panel.

First, the auxiliary flat plate 380 is placed on one side of the metal sheet 370 and covers the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370.

Next, glue is dispensed in the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370, i.e. the glue 322 is dispensed at a position of the auxiliary panel 380 within the light-transmitting window. Wherein, the dispensing amount of the glue 322 should be such that the glue 322 at least fills the light-transmitting window.

Finally, the transparent flat plate 323 is overlaid on the light-transmitting window from the other side of the metal sheet 370, so that the glue 322 naturally fills the inside of the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370 and the gap between the metal sheet 370 and the transparent flat plate 323.

The glue 322 is cured and the auxiliary plate 380 is removed to obtain the boss structure embedded within the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370, such as shown in fig. 14. Wherein the glue between the transparent flat plate 323 and the metal sheet 370 is thin, not shown here.

It should be appreciated that to more conveniently form the boss structure, the auxiliary flat plate 380 shown in fig. 13 is typically placed at the bottom layer, the metal sheet 370 is placed over the auxiliary flat plate 380, glue 322 is dispensed from above into the window area formed by the auxiliary flat plate 380 and the metal sheet 370, and a transparent flat plate 323 is placed over the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370 from above to below so that the glue 322 fills the light-transmitting window.

The connection between the transparent flat plate 323 and the raised portion, i.e., the cured glue 322, may be achieved by a transparent glue or a transparent adhesive film such as OCA.

The thickness of the boss structure's boss is the same as the thickness of the metal sheet 370.

Alternatively, the upper surface of the boss structure is the same height as the upper surface of the metal sheet 370.

Optionally, the upper surface of the boss and metal sheet 370 is covered with an overflow glue layer 3221 formed by glue 322 prior to curing overflowing the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet 370.

The thickness of the glue overflow layer 3221 is small, and can reach the micron level. That is, a small amount of flash may be received at the raised portions of the boss structure, i.e., the upper surface of the cured glue 322, and the upper surface of the metal sheet 370. Thereby ensuring that there is no level difference between the overflow glue layer 3221 and the metal sheet 370. The overflow glue layer 3221 is not shown in fig. 14 due to its smaller thickness.

As shown in fig. 15, the overflow glue layer 3221 may be irregularly shaped.

It can be appreciated that the overflow glue layer 3221 achieves transition from the upper surface of the protruding portion of the boss structure to the upper surface of the metal sheet 370, so that a step between the boss structure and the metal sheet 370 can be further eliminated, improving user experience and protecting the flexible display screen 310.

The step between the overflow glue layer 3221 and the metal sheet 370 may be reduced or eliminated by grinding and polishing, for example, and is not limited thereto.

Based on the boss structure of fig. 12 to 15, fig. 16 and 17 show a device for fingerprint recognition using the boss structure.

As shown in fig. 16, there is shown a flexible display screen 310, a support structure 320, a metal sheet 370 and an optical fingerprint module 330. The lower surface of the flexible display screen 310 is provided with a transparent film 313, and the transparent film 313 may be, for example, an OCA adhesive layer, or a composite layer such as an OCA adhesive layer, a PET layer, and an OCA adhesive layer. The metal sheet 370 is fixed to the lower surface of the transparent film 313. The support structure 320 includes raised portions, i.e., cured glue 322, embedded within the light-transmissive window of the metal sheet 370 and non-raised portions, i.e., transparent flat plates 323, located below the metal sheet 370. The optical fingerprint module 330 is adhered to the lower surface of the transparent flat plate 323.

As further shown in fig. 17, a flexible display screen 310, a support structure 320, a buffer layer 360, a metal sheet 370, and an optical fingerprint module 330 are shown. Wherein, the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310 is provided with a foam layer 311, and the metal sheet 370 is fixed on the lower surface of the foam layer 311. The support structure 320 includes raised portions, i.e., cured glue 322, embedded within the light-transmissive window of the metal sheet 370 and non-raised portions, i.e., transparent flat plates 323, located below the metal sheet 370. The upper surface of the buffer layer 360 is adhered to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310, and the lower surface is adhered to the upper surface of the boss structure. The optical fingerprint module 330 is adhered to the lower surface of the transparent flat plate 323.

The boss structure in fig. 16 and 17 may be specifically described with reference to fig. 12 to 15, and will not be described herein for brevity.

In another implementation of the support structure 320, a plurality of through holes are provided on the support structure 320 for transmitting optical signals.

For example, the support structure 320 may be a support layer provided with a plurality of through holes, such as a foam layer or a metal layer provided with a plurality of through holes.

As shown in fig. 18, there is shown a flexible display screen 310, a support structure 320, a buffer layer 360, a metal sheet 370, a middle frame 340 and an optical fingerprint module 330. A metal sheet 370 is adhered under the foam layer 311 of the flexible display screen 310. The metal sheet 370 is connected with the middle frame 340 through foam 341, wherein the foam 341 plays a role of connection and buffering, and can be replaced by adhesive materials such as glue, adhesive film and the like. The buffer layer 360 is a transparent flexible film material, and is fixed on the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310. The support structure 320 is fixed to the lower surface of the buffer layer 360.

The support structure 320 is a support layer provided with a plurality of through holes for transmitting light signals reflected from a finger above the flexible display screen 310. The support structure 320 is located in a light-transmitting region below the flexible display screen 310, and in particular, in a light-transmitting window of the middle frame 340. The optical fingerprint module 330 is fixed on the lower surface of the support structure 320.

Of course, the support structure 320 shown in fig. 18 may be replaced by a transparent material layer, so that the transmission of the real image optical signal is performed without punching the support structure 320.

In the embodiment of the application, the supporting structure 320 is arranged in the light-transmitting area below the flexible display screen 310, so that the supporting structure 320 can provide a supporting function for the flexible display screen 310, deformation caused by pressing the flexible display screen by a finger in the fingerprint identification process is reduced, and damage to the flexible display screen is avoided. In addition, since the optical fingerprint module 330 is disposed on the support structure 320, the distance between the optical fingerprint module 330 and the flexible display screen 310 can be flexibly adjusted by the support structure 320, so as to improve the fingerprint identification performance. In addition, the optical fingerprint module 330 is decoupled from the flexible display screen 310, so that the optical fingerprint module 330 can be conveniently detached and installed, and the maintenance of the optical fingerprint module 330 is facilitated.

In the embodiment of the present application, each adhesive material in the light-transmitting area should be a transparent adhesive material so as not to affect the transmission of the optical signal, for example, the buffer layer 360 may be adhered to the lower surface of the flexible display screen 310 through OCA; while each adhesive material located on the non-optical path, preferably, may be other non-light-transmitting adhesive materials, so as to absorb stray light, for example, the upper surface of the non-convex portion of the boss 320 is adhered to the surface of the middle frame 340 by foam, glue or a glue film. Not all of the adhesive material is shown in fig. 4-18.

The embodiment of the application also provides electronic equipment which comprises the flexible display screen and the fingerprint identification device in the various embodiments of the application.

Optionally, the electronic device further comprises a middle frame.

Optionally, a metal sheet is disposed between the flexible display screen and the middle frame.

As an example and not by way of limitation, the electronic device in the embodiments of the present application may be a portable or mobile computing device such as a terminal device, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a game device, an in-vehicle electronic device, or a wearable intelligent device, and other electronic devices such as an electronic database, an automobile, and a bank automated teller machine (Automated Teller Machine, ATM). The wearable intelligent device comprises full functions, large size and complete or partial functions which can be realized independent of the intelligent mobile phone, for example: smart watches or smart glasses, etc., and are only focused on certain application functions, and need to be used in combination with other devices, such as smart phones, as well as devices for monitoring physical signs, such as smart bracelets, smart jewelry, etc.

It should be noted that, on the premise of no conflict, the embodiments and/or technical features in the embodiments described in the present application may be combined with each other arbitrarily, and the technical solutions obtained after combination should also fall into the protection scope of the present application.

It should be understood that the specific examples in the embodiments of the present application are intended to help those skilled in the art to better understand the embodiments of the present application, and not to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, and that those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations on the basis of the above embodiments, and that these modifications or variations fall within the scope of the present application.

The foregoing is merely illustrative of the present application, and the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art will readily recognize that variations or substitutions are within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (17)

1. An apparatus for fingerprint recognition, applied to an electronic device having a folded display screen to enable off-screen optical fingerprint detection, the fingerprint detection area of the apparatus for fingerprint recognition being located in the display area of the folded display screen, and comprising:

the boss structure is provided with a protruding part and a non-protruding part positioned below the protruding part, and the protruding part is arranged on a middle frame of the folding display screen or a light-transmitting window of the metal sheet so as to support the folding display screen when a user presses a finger through the folding display screen;

The optical fingerprint module is arranged below the non-protruding part and comprises an induction array and an optical path guiding structure, the optical path guiding structure is used for guiding fingerprint detection light to the induction array, the induction array is used for receiving the fingerprint detection light and detecting fingerprint images of the finger according to the fingerprint detection light, and a filter layer is arranged above the induction array; the fingerprint detection light is an optical signal which is formed by a finger above the folding display screen and transmitted to the optical fingerprint module through the folding display screen and the boss structure.

2. The fingerprint recognition device of claim 1, wherein the non-raised portion of the boss structure is larger in size than the raised portion to form an extension with respect to the raised portion, and an upper surface of the extension is attached to a lower surface of an edge region of the light-transmitting window of the middle frame or a lower surface of an edge region of the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet.

3. The fingerprint recognition device of claim 2, wherein the raised portions and the non-raised portions of the boss structure are integrally formed as a transparent structure.

4. The fingerprint identification device according to claim 2, wherein the non-protruding portion of the boss structure is a transparent flat plate, and the protruding portion is a glue layer formed by curing glue filled in the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet.

5. The fingerprint recognition device according to claim 4, wherein the raised portions of the boss structure and the upper surface of the metal sheet are covered with an overflow glue layer formed by the glue overflowing the light-transmitting window of the metal sheet before curing.

6. The fingerprint identification device according to claim 1, wherein a foam layer is formed on the lower surface of the folding display screen, a light-transmitting window is formed on the foam layer in the area where the optical fingerprint module is located, and the protruding portion of the boss structure is attached to the lower surface of the edge area of the light-transmitting window of the foam layer.

7. The device of claim 1, further comprising a spacer layer disposed between the folded display screen and the raised portion of the boss structure, wherein the spacer layer is a transparent layer or a non-transparent layer having at least one through hole for transmitting fingerprint detection light passing through the folded display screen to the boss structure and the optical fingerprint module.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the boss structure is a non-transparent boss structure and the transparent boss structure has a plurality of through holes for transmitting fingerprint detection light passing through the folded display screen to the optical fingerprint module.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a buffer layer disposed between the folded display screen and the boss structure for buffering direct contact of the folded display screen to the boss structure when the folded display screen is pressed by a finger.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the buffer layer is attached to a lower surface of the folded display screen or an upper surface of the boss structure.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a spacer layer disposed between the buffer layer and the raised portions of the boss structure.

12. The apparatus for fingerprint recognition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the optical path guiding structure includes:

The optical collimator layer is provided with a plurality of collimating units which respectively correspond to the optical sensing units of the sensing array, wherein each collimating unit is respectively used for guiding the fingerprint detection light above to the corresponding optical sensing unit in a collimating way and attenuating the light which is inconsistent with the collimation angle of the collimating unit.

13. The apparatus for fingerprint recognition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the optical path guiding structure includes:

an optical lens layer having one or more lens units for converging fingerprint detection light formed at the finger to a sensing array therebelow such that the sensing array images based on the fingerprint detection light to obtain the fingerprint image, wherein the optical lens layer is formed with a pinhole in an optical path of the lens units for cooperating with the optical lens layer to image the fingerprint detection light at the sensing array with an enlarged field angle.

14. The apparatus for fingerprint recognition according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the optical path guiding structure includes:

A microlens layer and a light blocking layer, the microlens layer having a plurality of microlenses fabricated over the sensing array by a semiconductor growth process, and each microlens corresponding to one of the optical sensing units of the sensing array, respectively; the light blocking layer is formed between the microlens layer and the sensing array and has micro holes formed between the microlenses and the optical sensing units, and the light blocking layer is used for blocking optical interference between adjacent microlenses and optical sensing units and enabling the fingerprint detection light to be converged into the micro holes through the microlenses and transmitted to the corresponding optical sensing units through the micro holes so as to obtain the fingerprint image.

15. The fingerprint recognition device according to claim 1, wherein the metal sheet is disposed between the folding display screen and the center frame and has a predetermined thickness range such that it is folded with a bending region of the folding display screen when the folding display screen is folded while supporting the folding display screen, and is restored to an original form with the bending region when the folding display screen is unfolded.

16. The fingerprint recognition device of claim 15, wherein the metal sheet has a thickness between 50 microns and 200 microns.

17. An electronic device comprising a folded display screen and a fingerprint recognition device according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the fingerprint recognition device is arranged below the folded display screen to enable an under-screen optical fingerprint detection, and the folded display screen is an OLED display screen, and a portion of the OLED display unit of the OLED display screen is used as an excitation light source for fingerprint detection when the fingerprint recognition device performs fingerprint detection.