TWI403985B - An anti-theft system and a method for portable electronic devices - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an anti-theft system suitable to portable electronic devices, at least comprising: a storage unit for storing a predetermined data information; a scratch-type fingerprint sensor, arranged on the shell of the portable electronic devices, for sampling image information; a processing unit for processing the image information and comparing the result to the data information from the storage unit; and an alarm unit for sending an alarm signal when the result does not match with the data information. Using the current anti-theft system of the invention, the data information which is sampled by the scratch-type fingerprint sensor is dealt with and compared to the predetermined fingerprint image information, and the alarm signal can monitor the electronic device in real time so as to improve the security of the electronic device.

Description

Anti-theft system and method for portable electronic device

The invention relates to anti-theft technology of electronic devices, in particular to electronic device anti-theft technology based on fingerprint recognition.

At present, the degree of portability of electronic products is getting higher and higher, and those digital devices that are light and compact and fully functional are often favored by more users. However, compared to other products in daily life, the cost and price of portable digital devices are relatively high, which provides some thieves with an opportunity to trade profits.

In the prior art, many manufacturers mainly provide two relatively effective protection methods for the problem that electronic devices are easily stolen. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the first way is to attach an anti-theft chain of the mobile phone, that is, an anti-theft pendant hanging on the mobile phone, and use a slightly smaller cylindrical shape than the 7th battery in the place where the ribbon is connected to the outer casing of the mobile phone. The alarm is fixed. When the mobile phone is pulled by an external force that exceeds its own weight, the alarm will sound an alarm to alert the mobile phone owner to theft. However, if the anti-theft chain is cut directly during the theft and traction is not introduced, the anti-theft chain will fail due to the inability to detect the external force.

In addition, in the second mode, the mobile phone user can set the SMS tracking function in the machine. Once the mobile phone is stolen and the original SIM card is replaced, the pre-installed monitoring program in the stolen mobile phone will automatically send the original SIM card number or mailbox to the user. Send the replaced SIM card number. If the personal information registered by the new SIM card is true and valid, it can be locked and tracked. However, considering that the thief may use an unregistered number, although the monitoring program can automatically send the card number of the new SIM card, it will eventually be impossible to trace because the personal information is untrue. In addition, the thief automatically sends an alarm message as soon as it is turned on, causing continuous interference to the original mobile number user.

It can be seen that whether they use the mobile phone anti-theft chain or SMS tracking function, they can not immediately monitor the theft of the thief. In addition, after the thief easily breaks the working mechanism of the anti-theft chain and SMS tracking, their anti-theft function will be invalid.

In view of the deficiencies that occur in the prior art in the use of anti-theft products or methods employed on mobile handsets, the present invention provides an anti-theft system for portable electronic devices and methods therefor.

An object of the present invention is to provide an anti-theft system for a portable electronic device, comprising at least: a storage unit, a scratch sensor, a processing unit, and an alarm unit. The storage unit is configured to store preset data information. The wiper sensor is disposed on the outer casing of the portable electronic device for collecting image information. The processing unit is configured to process the image information and compare the processing result with the data information from the storage unit. When the processing result does not match the data information, the alarm unit sends an alarm signal to remind the user to pay attention to the theft.

According to an embodiment, the anti-theft system further includes a control unit for turning the wiper sensor on or off.

According to an embodiment, the scraping fingerprint sensor acquires multiple sets of image information at an acquisition speed of 2000 frames/second, and integrates multiple sets of image information into a complete fingerprint image information through a processing unit.

According to an embodiment, the alarm unit is a vibrating element or a speaker.

According to an embodiment, the portable electronic device is a mobile handset, a personal digital assistant, an MP3, an MP4 or other electronic device. Moreover, when the electronic device is a mobile phone, the storage unit is a memory or a SIM card built in the mobile phone.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an anti-theft method for a portable electronic device, comprising: storing preset data information in a portable electronic device; and using a scratch sensor to collect an image of a finger Information; process image information and compare the processing results with the data information; and send an alarm signal when the processing result does not match the data information.

According to an embodiment, the step of turning on the wiper sensor is further included before the storing step.

According to an embodiment, the step of closing the wiper sensor is further included after the alerting step.

By adopting the anti-theft system and method for the electronic device of the present invention, the image information collected by the scratch-type fingerprint sensor is processed, compared with the preset fingerprint image information, and the electronic signal is instantly monitored by the alarm signal. The occurrence of equipment theft has greatly improved the security of portable electronic devices. In addition, the scratch sensor of the present invention is hidden on the inner surface of the electronic device casing, and does not affect the overall appearance of the electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Before describing specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings, we briefly describe related techniques related to fingerprint sensors and fingerprint recognition. Currently, fingerprint sensors can be roughly classified into two types, namely, an optical fingerprint sensor and a semiconductor fingerprint sensor. Although the optical fingerprint sensor has strong antistatic ability and low product cost, it cannot perform live fingerprint identification, especially for wet and dry fingers, and the sensor is bulky. The semiconductor fingerprint sensor mainly uses the parameters of capacitance, inductance, temperature and pressure to realize the acquisition of fingerprint images, which can be subdivided into a planar fingerprint sensor and a strip fingerprint sensor (also called a scratch fingerprint). Detector).

The human fingerprint consists of closely adjacent embossed lines, and the texture of the fingerprint can be detected by using a standard reference discharge current for each element point. First, each primitive is precharged to a certain reference voltage and then discharged by reference to the discharge current. Specifically, the pixel under the protrusion of the fingerprint has a high capacitance and a slow discharge speed; and the element under the recess of the fingerprint has a low capacitance and a relatively fast discharge speed. For example, by using the difference in discharge speed, the sample and hold circuit detects and converts it into an 8-bit output, and an original fingerprint image with better image quality can be formed. For the scratch-type fingerprint sensor, the imaging principle can be roughly expressed as: when the finger is scraped on the fingerprint sensor, multiple images are collected, and then the collected image is organized and spliced, and finally the whole is formed. Fingerprint image of the finger.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an anti-theft system for a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the anti-theft system 10 includes at least a storage unit 100, a wiper sensor 102, a processing unit 104, and an alarm unit 106. The wiper sensor 102 is used to acquire image information in real time. In an embodiment, the wiper sensor 102 is located on the outer casing of the mobile phone. The storage unit 100 is configured to store preset data information. In an embodiment, the storage unit 100 is a memory built in the mobile phone 10, and in another embodiment, the storage unit 100 is a memory in the SIM card of the mobile phone 10. body. Then, the image information collected in real time is processed in the processing unit 104, for example, the multiple images collected in real time are organized and spliced into a complete fingerprint image, and then the preset data information is transmitted to the processing unit 104. The processed image information is compared with the preset data information by the processing unit 104. If the two do not match, the processing unit 104 outputs a control signal to the alarm unit 106, and an alarm signal is issued by the alarm unit 106 to prompt the user to pay attention to possible theft. For example, the alarm signal can be, but is not limited to, a vibrating element or a speaker. Through the vibration force generated by the vibrating element, the user can use the tactile sense to grasp the current state of the mobile phone in time to avoid theft. In addition, the special sound signal from the speaker allows the user to easily prevent theft of the phone.

In an embodiment of the invention, when the finger is swiped across the scratch sensor on the outer casing of the mobile phone, the sensor instantly acquires multiple sets of image information about the fingerprint at an acquisition speed of 2000 frames/second. After the image information is transmitted to the processing unit 104, it is organized and spliced by the processing unit 104 to finally form a complete fingerprint image. If the fingerprint image does not match the preset user fingerprint image in the storage unit 100, it indicates that the mobile phone is in an abnormal state; if the fingerprint image is compared with a preset user fingerprint image in the storage unit 100 When it is consistent, it indicates that the user is using the mobile phone, and there is no need to send an alarm signal by the alarm unit 106.

One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the mobile handset can be set by the user into a variety of modes, such as standard mode, outdoor mode, conference mode, and aero mode. Similarly, the mobile phone of the present invention can maintain the anti-theft mode (ie, the monitoring mode for preventing theft of the mobile phone in real time), and can also fix the anti-theft function in the mobile phone by using the image captured by the identification unit and the predetermined fingerprint. Like to compare to prompt the user to mention theft. In an embodiment, the anti-theft system further includes a control unit 108 that turns on or off the scratch sensor through the control unit 108, and instantly captures a fingerprint image of the finger across the mobile phone when the scratch sensor is turned on. When the scratch sensor is turned off, it is not necessary to collect a fingerprint image that has been swiped across the phone. For example, control unit 108 can be a mechanical button.

It should also be understood by those skilled in the art that although the specific embodiment of the present invention is described by taking a mobile phone as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, it can also be applied to personal digital assistants, MP3, MP4 or other electronic devices.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the method for implementing the anti-theft function of the mobile phone in FIG. 1 . Referring to FIG. 2, in step 200, the scratch sensor is first turned on so that the scratch sensor collects fingerprint images at any time. In step 202, the preset profile information is stored. For example, the user may collect and store his fingerprint in the mobile phone in advance as a reference image or a standard image. In step 204, when the finger is swiped over the mobile phone, the image information of the finger is collected by the scratch sensor, and then step 206 is performed to process the collected finger image information, for example, the finger image information. Organize and stitch together to integrate into a complete fingerprint image. In step 208, the processing result is compared with the preset data information, and when the two do not match, step 210 is performed, and an alarm signal is sent to remind the user. Finally, in step 212, the user can also turn off the scratch sensor at any time to temporarily mask the anti-theft function of the mobile phone, and then turn on the scratch sensor when it is necessary to prevent it. It should be noted that the scratch fingerprint sensor can collect fingerprint information of any person at any time, and can collect fingerprint information of any person at a specific time period according to the needs of the user. Based on such considerations, it is not necessary to turn on the wiper sensor and turn off the wiper sensor in steps 200 and 212.

The present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention can be varied and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. This is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application.

10. . . Anti-theft system

100. . . Storage unit

102. . . Scratch sensor

104. . . Processing unit

106. . . Alarm unit

108. . . control unit

Step 200 Turn on the scratch sensor

Step 202: Store pre-set data information

Step 204: Collecting image information of the finger

Step 206: Processing image information

Step 208 compares the processing result with the preset data information.

Step 210: Send an alarm signal when the two do not match

Step 212 Turn off the wiper sensor

1 is a schematic structural diagram of an antitheft system for a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the method for implementing the anti-theft function of the mobile phone in FIG. 1 .

10. . . Anti-theft system

100. . . Storage unit

102. . . Scratch sensor

104. . . Processing unit

106. . . Alarm unit

108. . . control unit

Claims (15)

An anti-theft system is applicable to a portable electronic device. The anti-theft system includes at least: a storage unit for storing pre-set data information; and a scraping sensor disposed on the outer casing of the portable electronic device. Acquiring image information, wherein the scratch sensor acquires multiple sets of image information at an acquisition speed of 2000 frames/second; a processing unit is configured to process the image information, and the processing result is from the storage unit The information of the information is compared; and the alarm unit sends an alarm signal when the processing result does not match the information of the data. The anti-theft system of claim 1, further comprising a control unit for turning the scratch sensor on or off. The anti-theft system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sets of image information are integrated into the complete fingerprint information by the processing unit. The anti-theft system of claim 1, the alarm unit being a vibrating element. The anti-theft system of claim 1, the alarm unit is a speaker. The anti-theft system of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, an MP3, an MP4, or other electronic device. The anti-theft system of claim 6, wherein when the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, the storage unit is a built-in memory of the mobile phone. The anti-theft system of claim 6, wherein when the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, the storage unit is a SIM card of the mobile phone. An anti-theft method is applicable to a portable electronic device, the anti-theft method includes: storing pre-set data information in the portable electronic device; and using a scraping sensor to collect image information of the finger, wherein the scraping The wipe sensor acquires multiple sets of image information at an acquisition speed of 2000 frames/second; processes the image information and compares the processed result with the data information; and issues an alarm when the processing result does not match the data information signal. The anti-theft method of claim 9, further comprising the step of turning on the scratch sensor before the storing step. The anti-theft method of claim 9, further comprising the step of turning off the wiping sensor after the alarming step. The anti-theft method of claim 9, the processing step further comprising integrating the image information into complete fingerprint information. The anti-theft method according to claim 9, wherein the alarm signal is a vibration signal. The anti-theft method according to claim 9, wherein the alarm signal is an acoustic signal. The anti-theft method of claim 9, wherein the portable electronic device is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, an MP3, an MP4, or other electronic device.