WO2017215562A1

WO2017215562A1 - Fingerprint sensor detection method and device, fingerprint sensor, electronic device

Info

Publication number: WO2017215562A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/087920
Authority: WO
Inventors: 田浦延
Original assignee: 深圳信炜科技有限公司
Priority date: 2016-06-15
Filing date: 2017-06-12
Publication date: 2017-12-21
Also published as: CN106529383A; CN106529383B

Abstract

A detection method, used for detecting a fingerprint sensor (10); the fingerprint sensor (10) comprises electrodes (12), and the electrodes (12) comprise sensor electrodes (122). The detection method comprises the following steps: a detecting step, applying a driving signal to a portion of the electrodes (12) in a predetermined manner, and detecting sensing signals coupled to other electrodes (12), until the sensing signals of all sensor electrodes (122) are obtained; and a determining step, determining whether the sensor electrodes (122) are defective according to the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes (122). The detection method and the detection device apply driving signals to the electrodes (12) of the fingerprint sensor (10), and use an edge electric field to couple the driving signals to other electrodes (12), thereby determining whether the sensor electrodes (122) are defective according to voltage change information of the sensor electrodes (122). Therefore, the present invention can carry out detection without having to apply a finger and a conductor to the fingerprint sensor (10), so as to improve the detection efficiency.

Description

Fingerprint sensor detection method and device, fingerprint sensor, electronic device

This application claims the priority of the Chinese patent application filed on June 15, 2016, the Chinese Patent Office, the application number is 201610427545.X, and the invention is entitled "Detection method and device for fingerprint sensor, fingerprint sensor, electronic device". This is incorporated herein by reference.

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of fingerprint sensors, and in particular, to a detection method and a detection device for detecting a fingerprint sensor, a fingerprint sensor and an electronic device.

Background technique

The self-capacitance fingerprint sensor includes a detection circuit and a sensor electrode arranged in a two-dimensional array. In use, the detection circuit applies a drive signal to each sensor electrode and detects an induced signal for each sensor electrode, each sensor electrode forming one pixel of the fingerprint sensor. In this way, when the finger acts on the fingerprint sensor, each sensor electrode can detect the voltage change caused by the corresponding point of the fingerprint, so that the depth of the corresponding point of the fingerprint can be described, and the texture of the entire fingerprint is described together with other sensor electrodes (pixels) to form a pattern. Fingerprint image.

However, the connection between the sensor electrode itself and the sensor electrode and the detection circuit may be defective, resulting in a flaw in the fingerprint sensor. Some defects may cause the entire fingerprint sensor to fail to work properly, and may even cause the entire fingerprint after the fingerprint sensor is assembled to the fingerprint recognition module. The recognition module is not working properly. Therefore, the detection of fingerprint sensors is very important.

However, at present, the detection of the fingerprint sensor requires applying a finger or other conductive material (such as a conductive adhesive) on the fingerprint sensor, and then detecting the sensing signal of each sensor electrode to determine whether it meets the requirements, which is very inconvenient, and the detection efficiency is low.

Summary of the invention

The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a detection method and detection device for detecting a fingerprint sensor, a fingerprint sensor, and an electronic device.

this invention

The invention provides a detecting method for detecting a fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint sensor comprises an electrode, the electrode comprises a sensor electrode, and the detecting method comprises the following steps:

a detecting step of applying a driving signal to a portion of the electrodes in a predetermined manner and detecting an inductive signal to which the other electrodes are coupled until an inductive signal of all of the sensor electrodes is obtained;

The determining step determines whether the sensor electrode has a defect according to the sensing signal on the sensor electrode.

In some embodiments, the detecting step applies a drive signal to a portion of the electrodes and detects an induced signal to which the other electrodes are coupled based on a mutual capacitive sensing principle.

In some embodiments, the sensor electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the detecting step comprises the following sub-steps:

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of n*k+c rows or columns, where k is a natural number and includes zero, n is a natural number and is greater than or equal to 2, c is a natural number and includes zero, c is less than n, n*k+ c ≤ N, and c is not zero when k is different, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting an inductive signal of the sensor electrode other than the sensor electrode of the n*k+c row or column;

Applying a drive signal to a row or column of the sensor electrodes other than the sensor electrodes of the n*k+c row or column; and

Detecting the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes of the n*k+c row or column.

Applying a driving signal to the sensor electrodes of 2*k+1 rows or columns, where 2*k+1≤N, k is a natural number and includes zero, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting a sensing signal of the sensor electrode of 2k rows or columns;

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of 2k rows or columns; and

Detecting the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes of 2*k+1 rows or columns.

In some embodiments, the electrode further includes a guard ring surrounding the sensor electrode, and the detecting method includes:

Applying a drive signal to the guard ring; and

A sensing signal of the sensor electrode is detected.

The present invention provides a detecting device for detecting a fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint sensor comprising an electrode, the electrode comprising a sensor electrode, wherein the detecting device comprises:

a detecting module for applying a driving signal to a part of the electrodes in a predetermined manner and detecting other The sensing signal to which the electrode is coupled until an inductive signal is obtained for all of the sensor electrodes;

And a determining module, configured to determine, according to the sensing signal of the sensor electrode, whether the sensor electrode has a defect.

In some embodiments, the detection module applies a drive signal to a portion of the electrodes based on a mutual capacitive sensing principle and detects induced signals to which the other electrodes are coupled.

In some embodiments, the sensor electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the detection module is configured to:

Detecting a sensing signal of the sensor electrode of 2k rows or columns;

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of 2k rows or columns; and

The invention provides a fingerprint sensor, which comprises:

a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a two-dimensional array; and

Detection device, including:

a driving module, selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes, for providing a driving signal to the plurality of sensor electrodes in a time sharing manner;

a receiving module selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes for receiving a sensing signal from the plurality of sensor electrode outputs; and

a determining module, determining, according to the sensing signal received by the receiving module, whether there is a defect Sensor electrode.

In some embodiments, at the same time, the drive module is electrically coupled to a portion of the sensor electrodes, the receive module is electrically coupled to another portion of the sensor electrodes, and a mutual capacitance is formed between the two portions of the sensor electrodes.

In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensor is a mutual capacitive fingerprint sensor when detecting whether the sensor electrode is defective.

In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensor further includes a fingerprint sensing circuit, the fingerprint sensing circuit is configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes to perform fingerprint sensing, and the fingerprint sensor is self-contained when performing fingerprint sensing Fingerprint sensor.

The present invention provides an electronic device comprising the fingerprint sensor of any of the above.

The detecting method and the detecting device according to the embodiment of the present invention can determine whether the sensor electrode has a defect based on the voltage change information of the sensor electrode by applying a driving signal to the electrode of the fingerprint sensor itself and coupling the driving signal to the other electrode by the edge electric field. Therefore, it is possible to detect without applying a finger and a conductor to the fingerprint sensor, thereby improving the detection efficiency. Accordingly, the quality of the fingerprint sensor and the electronic device is high.

The additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows.

DRAWINGS

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the appended claims

FIG. 1 is a schematic flow chart of a detecting method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a fingerprint sensor.

3 is a schematic diagram of functional blocks of a detecting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic view showing the structure of the detecting device shown in FIG. 3 connected to a part of the electrode.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is another schematic view of the detecting method of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is still another schematic diagram of the detecting method of the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of a detection method in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a schematic structural view of an embodiment of an electronic device of the present invention.

detailed description

The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, and the examples of the embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals indicate the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions.

The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting.

Further, the described features, structures may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the technical solution of the present invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details or other structures, components, and the like. In other instances, well-known structures or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the detection method of the embodiment of the present invention is used to detect the fingerprint sensor 10 , the fingerprint sensor includes an electrode 12 , and the electrode 12 includes a sensor electrode 122 . Preferably, the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 are arranged in a two dimensional array. However, the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 can also be arranged in other regular or irregular manners. The detection method includes the following steps:

a detecting step of applying a driving signal to the partial electrodes 12 in a predetermined manner and detecting the sensing signals to which the other electrodes 12 are coupled until the sensing signals on all of the sensor electrodes 122 are obtained;

The determining step determines whether the sensor electrode 122 has a defect based on the sensing signal on the sensor electrode 122. Preferably, the detecting step detects the sensor electrode 122 based on the working principle of the mutual capacitance.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together, the detecting apparatus 20 of the embodiment of the present invention includes a detecting module 22 and a determining module 24. The detection module 22 is operative to apply a drive signal to the partial electrodes 12 in a predetermined manner and to sense the sensed signals to which the other electrodes 12 are coupled until an induced signal is obtained for all of the sensor electrodes 122. The determining module 14 is configured to determine whether the sensor electrode 122 has a defect based on the sensing signal on the sensor electrode 122.

In some embodiments, the detection method can be implemented by the detection device 20, for example, the detection step can be performed by the detection module 22, and the determination step can be performed by the determination module 24.

The detecting method and detecting device 20 of the embodiment of the present invention can apply a driving signal to the electrode 12 of the fingerprint sensor 10 itself, and couple the driving signal to the other electrode 12 by using the fringe electric field, so that the sensing signal coupled to the sensor electrode 122 can be used. It is determined whether the sensor electrode 122 has a defect. For example, the drive signal and the sense signal are voltage signals. When testing, you can pass Theoretically or experimentally, a predetermined voltage value of the sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 under the fringe electric field coupling is obtained, and then the detected voltage value of the sensor electrode 122 is compared with a predetermined voltage value, and if it is equal to or approximately equal to the predetermined voltage value, the sensor is proved The electrode 122 can also perform normal detection even during normal operation, so that it can be judged that there is no defect. Conversely, it can be determined that the sensor electrode 122 may be defective. Therefore, it is possible to detect without applying a finger and a conductor to the fingerprint sensor 10, and the detection efficiency is improved.

The electrode 12 may be a copper foil and formed on a substrate (not shown) by a semiconductor process to constitute a partial structure of the fingerprint sensor 10. In some embodiments, electrode 12 can all be sensor electrode 122. Each sensor electrode 122 may constitute one pixel of the fingerprint sensor 10. In this way, parameters such as the sensing area and the resolution of the fingerprint sensor 10 can be controlled by setting the number and arrangement of the sensor electrodes 122.

Further, the detecting module 22 includes a driving module 221 and a receiving module 223. The driving module 221 is selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 for providing a driving signal to the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 in a time sharing manner. The receiving module 223 is selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 for receiving sensing signals output from the plurality of sensor electrodes 122. The determining module 24 is connected to the receiving module 223 for determining whether there is a defective sensor electrode 122 according to the sensing signal received by the receiving module 223.

The driving module 211 is selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes 122, for example, through a switch (not shown). The receiving module 223 is selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 by, for example, a switch (not shown).

At the same time, the driving module 211 is electrically connected to a part of the sensor electrodes 122, and the receiving module 223 is electrically connected to another part of the sensor electrodes 122, and a mutual capacitance is formed between the two partial sensor electrodes 122.

For example, the driving module 221 is electrically connected to the sensor electrode 122 of the first row through a switch to provide a driving signal to the sensor electrode 122 of the first row. The receiving module 223 is electrically connected to the sensor electrode 122 of the second row through a switch to receive a sensing signal from the sensor electrode 122 of the second row. The determining module 24 determines whether there is a defective electrode in the sensor electrode 122 of the second row according to the sensing signal received by the receiving module 223. For example, if the sensor electrodes 122 of the second row are not defective, the sensing signals received by the receiving module 223 should be the same or approximately the same. If there is a defect in the sensor electrode 122 in the sensor electrode 122 of the second row, the sensing signal outputted by the defective sensor electrode 122 to the receiving module 223 is different or obvious. It is different from the sensing signals output by other normal sensor electrodes 122.

At the time of detection, the detecting device 20 performs detection using a mutual capacitance sensing principle, in which the sensor electrodes 122 of the first row form a mutual capacitance with the sensor electrodes 122 of the second row.

Similarly, the sensor electrodes 122 of other even rows are subjected to defect detection by using the mutual capacitance detection principle. After all the even rows of the sensor electrodes 122 are qualified, the sensor electrodes 122 of the odd rows are detected for defects until all the detections are completed. Sensor electrode 122.

However, the present application does not limit the above-mentioned detection order, and may be changed, or may be other suitable detection methods. For example, after the sensor electrodes 122 of the second row are qualified, the sensor electrodes 122 of the first row are next performed. Defect detection is also possible.

Preferably, the detecting device 20 is disposed in the fingerprint sensor 10, and the fingerprint sensor 10 is a chip. However, the detection device 20 can also be modified independently of the fingerprint sensor 10.

Additionally, fingerprint sensor 10 further includes a fingerprint sensing circuit (not shown). The fingerprint sensing circuit is configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 to perform fingerprint sensing. The fingerprint sensing circuit provides an excitation signal to the sensor electrode 122 and receives a fingerprint sensing signal output from the sensor electrode 122 to obtain fingerprint information.

According to the matching relationship between the detecting circuit and the sensor electrode 122, the fingerprint sensor 10 can be a self-capacitive fingerprint sensor or a mutual capacitive fingerprint sensor. The self-capacitance fingerprint sensor mainly refers to excitation and detection through the same sensor electrode, and mutual capacitance. The fingerprint sensor mainly refers to exciting the specific sensor electrodes and detecting the voltage changes of the sensor electrodes corresponding thereto.

The fingerprint sensor 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is a self-capacitive fingerprint sensor when performing fingerprint sensing, and is a mutual capacitive fingerprint sensor when detecting whether the sensor electrode 122 has a defect.

It should be noted that detecting whether the sensor electrode 122 has a defect is a detection performed by the fingerprint module factory before the fingerprint sensor 10 is shipped from the factory. The fingerprint sensor 10 performs fingerprint sensing is an operation performed after the fingerprint sensor 10 is assembled to the electronic device 100 (for example, a mobile phone, see later).

For example, the fingerprint sensing circuit and the detecting device 20 are two different circuits, or the fingerprint sensing circuit multiplexes the circuit of the partial detecting device 20, for example, the multiplexing receiving module 223. The fingerprint sensor 10 may further include a control unit (not shown) for correspondingly controlling the fingerprint detecting circuit to operate with the detecting device 20 according to the received command. When performing defect detection, the instructions are for example from a detection device. When fingerprint sensing is performed, the instructions are, for example, from a master chip that applies the electronic device 100 (see below).

As described above, when detecting whether the sensor electrode 122 has a defect, for example, the control signal can be applied to the partial sensor electrode 122 by the control detecting circuit, and then the sensing signal to which the remaining sensor electrodes 122 are coupled can be detected to determine whether the sensor electrode 122 is Flawed.

In embodiments in which the electrodes 12 are all sensor electrodes 122, the detecting step includes the following sub-steps:

A drive signal is applied to the sensor electrodes 122 of the n*k+c row or column, where k is a natural number and includes zero, n is a natural number and is greater than or equal to 2, c is a natural number and includes zero, c is less than n, n*k+c ≤ N, and k is not equal to c, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting an inductive signal on the sensor electrode 122 other than the sensor electrode 122 of the n*k+c row or column;

Applying a drive signal to one row or column of sensor electrodes 122 other than sensor electrodes 122 of rows or columns of n*k+c;

The sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 of the n*k+c row or column is detected.

In some embodiments, the sub-steps described above can be implemented by the detection module 12, that is, the detection module 12 can be used to apply a drive signal to the sensor electrodes 122 of the n*k+c row or column, where k is a natural number And including zero, n is a natural number and greater than or equal to 2, c is a natural number and includes zero, c is less than n, detecting a sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 other than the sensor electrode 122 of the n*k+c row or column, and dividing n* A row of sensor electrodes 122 outside the sensor electrodes 122 of the k+c row or column applies a drive signal and senses the sensed signals of the sensor electrodes 122 of the n*k+c row or column.

In these embodiments, based on the mutual capacitance sensing principle, the sensing signals of all of the sensor electrodes 122 are actually obtained by applying driving signals to the row or column of sensor electrodes 122. In this way, the application of the driving signal and the detection of the sensing signal are relatively regular, the control of the detecting circuit can be simplified, and the processing of the detected sensing signal can be facilitated.

It can be understood that n, k and c are constants, not variables, and can be set according to requirements.

It can be understood that when n is relatively large, a driving signal is applied to the sensor electrodes 122 of the rows or columns that are relatively far apart. Thus, there may be a sensor electrode 122 that is farther from the sensor electrode 122 to which the driving signal is applied, resulting in a weak sensing signal. However, it should be understood that even in such an embodiment, the sensed signal is stronger than when the drive signal is not applied, and thus detection can be achieved. For example, when n=10, c=1, that is, a driving signal is applied to the sensor electrodes 122 of 10k+1 rows or columns, the sensor electrodes 122 of 5k+1 rows or columns are away from the row or column of sensor electrodes 5 to which the driving signals are applied, It is relatively far away, and therefore, the induced signal generated by the sensor electrodes 122 of 5k+1 rows or columns may be weak. But like this The sensed signal can still be used to detect the sensor electrode 122. In such an embodiment, the detection can be implemented by applying a driving signal to the sensor electrodes 122 of fewer rows or columns, and thus, the power consumption of the detection can be reduced.

Of course, in other embodiments, in order to detect the sensor electrode 122 more efficiently and accurately, n may be reasonably set to avoid weak sensing signals. It can be understood that the smaller n is, the stronger the induced signal can be generated by the same driving signal. Referring to Figure 5, n=2, c=1, that is, the sub-steps of the detection step are:

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes 122 of odd (2k+1) rows;

Detecting the sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 of the even row (except the odd row);

Applying a drive signal to sensor electrodes 122 of even rows (except odd rows); and

The sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 of the odd row (2k+1) is detected.

Referring to FIG. 6, another example of the above embodiment may be to apply a driving signal to the array of sensor electrodes 122, and n=2, c=1, that is, the sub-steps of the detecting step are:

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes 122 of the odd (2k+1) column;

Detecting an inductive signal of the sensor electrode 122 of the even column (except the odd column);

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes 122 of the even columns (except for the odd columns); and

The sensing signal of the sensor column 122 of the odd column (2k+1) is detected.

The advantage of the above two examples is that since the sensor electrode 122 to which the driving signal is applied is only interlaced with the detected sensor electrode 122, the coupling effect of the fringe electric field is strong, and thus the detected voltage signal is strong, which is advantageous for later judgment.

Referring to FIG. 6, in another example, a driving signal may be applied to the row of sensor electrodes 122, and n=3, c=1, that is, the sub-steps of the detecting step are:

Applying a driving signal to the sensor electrodes 122 of 3k+1 rows;

Detecting a sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 except for 3k+1 rows;

Applying a drive signal to one row (eg, 3k+2 rows) of sensor electrodes 122 of sensor electrodes 122 other than 3k+1 rows; and

The sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 of 3k+1 row is detected.

It will be appreciated that in such an example, by reasonably selecting the number of rows of sensor electrodes 122 to which the drive signal is applied, the total number of sensor electrodes 122 to which detection is applied can be reduced, thereby reducing energy consumption.

Of course, the above example is only applied to sensor electrodes 122 that are in rows or columns or rows or columns. The drive signal or drive signal change signal is used to obtain an interpretation of the sensed signals of all of the sensor electrodes 122 and should not limit the scope of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , in the fingerprint sensor 10 of another embodiment of the present invention, the electrode 12 includes a conductive protection element 124 in addition to the sensor electrode 122 . A plurality of hollow regions 127 are disposed on the conductive protection component 124. The plurality of sensor electrodes 122 are respectively disposed in the hollow region 127, and a gap exists between the conductive protection component 124 to insulate the two. .

Preferably, the conductive protection element 124 is of a unitary structure and is located in the same layer as the sensor electrode 122.

The conductive protection element 124 can also be a plurality of guard rings that are respectively disposed around the plurality of sensor electrodes 122. The plurality of guard rings may be a single ring structure or a structure that is connected to each other. However, the structure of the conductive protection element 124 is not limited to the structure described herein, but may be other suitable structures.

The detection step includes the following substeps:

Applying a drive signal to the conductive protection element 124;

The sensing signal of the sensor electrode 122 is detected.

In some embodiments, the sub-steps described above can be implemented by the detection module 22, that is, the detection module 22 can be used to apply a drive signal to the conductive protection element 124 and detect the sense signal of the sensor electrode 122.

Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together, in particular, the driving module 221 is connected to the conductive protection component 124 to provide the driving signal to the conductive protection component 124. The receiving module 223 is connected to the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 and receives a sensing signal output from the sensor electrodes 122.

The determining module 24 determines whether there is a defect in the sensor electrode 122 according to the sensing signal received by the receiving module 223.

In the present embodiment, when the defect detection is performed on the sensor electrode 122, the conductive protection element 124 forms a mutual capacitance with the plurality of sensor electrodes 122.

Similar to the foregoing, the detecting device 20 may be integrated in the fingerprint sensor 10 of the present embodiment, or may be a device other than the fingerprint sensor 10.

The fingerprint sensor 10 further includes the aforementioned fingerprint sensing circuit. The fingerprint sensing circuit is configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes 122 to perform self-capacitive fingerprint sensing. The fingerprint sensing circuit provides an excitation signal to the sensor electrode 122 and receives a fingerprint sensing signal output from the sensor electrode 122 to obtain fingerprint information.

The conductive protection element 14 is grounded when the fingerprint sensor 10 senses the fingerprint, and functions as a static electricity protection for the sensor electrode 122. The ground signal voltage on the ground is typically about 0 volts or 0 volts, typically the location of the electronic device 100 (see below) to which the fingerprint sensor 10 is applied. It should be noted that the conductive protection component 14 can be directly or indirectly grounded.

When the conductive protection element 14 is indirectly grounded, the conductive protection element 14 is for example directly connected to a reference ground (not shown) which is connected to the device ground by a modulation circuit (not shown). The signal on the reference ground is a varying signal, such as a modulated signal from the modulation circuit. The modulating circuit generates the modulation signal according to a ground signal on the ground of the device and a voltage driving signal.

It can be understood that in these embodiments, the detection by the guard ring 124 can eliminate the step of repeatedly applying the driving signal, thereby improving the detection efficiency.

Please refer to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of an electronic device according to the present invention. The electronic device 100 includes the fingerprint sensor 10 of any of the above embodiments.

Specifically, the electronic device 100 is, for example, a portable electronic product or a home-based electronic product, or an in-vehicle electronic product. However, the electronic device is not limited to the listed electronic products, but may be other suitable electronic products. The portable electronic product is, for example, a mobile terminal, and the mobile terminal is, for example, a mobile terminal, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a wearable product, or the like. The home-based electronic product is, for example, a smart home door lock, a television, a refrigerator, a desktop computer, and the like. The in-vehicle electronic products are, for example, suitable in-vehicle electronic products such as an in-vehicle display, a driving recorder, a navigator, and a car refrigerator.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 100 includes a housing 104 in which the fingerprint sensor 10 is located. The housing 104 defines a through hole 106 that exposes the fingerprint sensor 10.

Therefore, the through hole 106 can facilitate the positioning of the finger and the fingerprint sensor 10 when the user inputs the fingerprint, which is convenient for the user to operate. In the example of the present invention, the through hole 106 is a circular through hole. It can be understood that the through hole 106 can also be a through hole of a square shape, an elliptical shape or the like. The through hole 106 may be opened at a rear surface of the housing 104.

The fingerprint sensor 10 can also be disposed at a suitable position on the front or side of the electronic device 100. Further, the fingerprint sensor 10 may also be disposed inside the electronic device 100, and the fingerprint sensor 10 is not necessarily exposed through the through hole.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "previous" ","Rear", The orientation or positional relationship of "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", etc. is The orientation or the positional relationship shown in the drawings is merely for the convenience of the description of the embodiments and the description of the present invention, and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to has a specific orientation, and is constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of the invention. Moreover, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first" or "second" may include one or more of the described features either explicitly or implicitly. In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "installation", "connected", and "connected" should be understood broadly, and may be a fixed connection, for example, or They are detachable or integrally connected; they can be mechanically connected, they can be electrically connected or can communicate with each other; they can be connected directly or indirectly through an intermediate medium, which can be internal or two components of two components. Interaction relationship. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood on a case-by-case basis.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the "on" or "below" of the second feature may include direct contact of the first and second features, and may also include the first sum, unless otherwise specifically defined and defined. The second feature is not in direct contact but through additional features between them. Moreover, the first feature "above", "above" and "above" the second feature includes the first feature directly above and above the second feature, or merely indicating that the first feature level is higher than the second feature. The first feature "below", "below" and "below" the second feature includes the first feature directly above and above the second feature, or merely the first feature level being less than the second feature.

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments or examples for implementing different structures of embodiments of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of embodiments of the present invention, the components and arrangements of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are merely examples and are not intended to limit the invention. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention may repeat reference numerals and/or reference letters in different examples, which are for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and do not in themselves indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and/or arrangements discussed. . Moreover, embodiments of the present invention provide examples of various specific processes and materials, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the use of other processes and/or the use of other materials.

In the description of the present specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiment", "example", "specific example" or "some examples", etc. Particular features, structures, materials or features described in the manner or examples are included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In the present specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily mean the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Any process or method description in the flowcharts or otherwise described herein may be understood as a module, segment or portion of code representing executable instructions including one or more steps for implementing a particular logical function or process. And the scope of the preferred embodiments of the invention includes additional implementations, in which the functions may be performed in a substantially simultaneous manner or in an opposite order depending on the functions involved, in the order shown or discussed. It will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of the present invention pertain.

The logic and/or steps represented in the flowchart or otherwise described herein, for example, may be considered as an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions, and may be embodied in any computer readable medium, Used in conjunction with, or in conjunction with, an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (eg, a computer-based system, a system including a processing module, or other system that can fetch instructions and execute instructions from an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device) Or use with equipment. For the purposes of this specification, a "computer-readable medium" can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport a program for use in an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, or in conjunction with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (non-exhaustive list) of computer readable media include the following: electrical connections (electronic devices) having one or more wires, portable computer disk cartridges (magnetic devices), random access memory (RAM), Read only memory (ROM), erasable editable read only memory (EPROM or flash memory), fiber optic devices, and portable compact disk read only memory (CDROM). In addition, the computer readable medium may even be a paper or other suitable medium on which the program can be printed, as it may be optically scanned, for example by paper or other medium, followed by editing, interpretation or, if appropriate, other suitable The method is processed to obtain the program electronically and then stored in computer memory.

It should be understood that portions of the embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or a combination thereof. In the above-described embodiments, multiple steps or methods may be implemented in software or firmware stored in a memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, any of the following techniques known in the art or his can be used. A combination of them: discrete logic with logic gates for logic functions on data signals, ASICs with suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field programmable gate arrays ( FPGA) and so on.

One of ordinary skill in the art can understand that all or part of the steps carried by the method of implementing the above embodiments can be completed by a program to instruct related hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When executed, one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments is included.

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing module, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. The integrated modules, if implemented in the form of software functional modules and sold or used as stand-alone products, may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium.

The above mentioned storage medium may be a read only memory, a magnetic disk or an optical disk or the like.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it is understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Implementations are subject to change, modification, substitution, and variation.

Claims

A detecting method for detecting a fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint sensor comprising an electrode, the electrode comprising a sensor electrode, wherein the detecting method comprises the following steps:

a detecting step of applying a driving signal to a portion of the electrodes in a predetermined manner and detecting an inductive signal to which the other electrodes are coupled until an inductive signal of all of the sensor electrodes is obtained;

The determining step determines whether the sensor electrode has a defect according to the sensing signal on the sensor electrode.
The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein said detecting step applies a driving signal to a part of said electrodes and detects an induced signal to which said other electrodes are coupled based on a mutual capacitive sensing principle.
The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein said sensor electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and said detecting step comprises the following substeps:

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of n*k+c rows or columns, where k is a natural number and includes zero, n is a natural number and is greater than or equal to 2, c is a natural number and includes zero, c is less than n, n*k+ c ≤ N, and c is not zero when k is different, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting an inductive signal of the sensor electrode other than the sensor electrode of the n*k+c row or column;

Applying a drive signal to a row or column of the sensor electrodes other than the sensor electrodes of the n*k+c row or column; and

Detecting the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes of the n*k+c row or column.
The detecting method according to claim 1, wherein said sensor electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and said detecting step comprises the following substeps:

Applying a driving signal to the sensor electrodes of 2*k+1 rows or columns, where 2*k+1≤N, k is a natural number and includes zero, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting a sensing signal of the sensor electrode of 2k rows or columns;

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of 2k rows or columns; and

Detecting the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes of 2*k+1 rows or columns.
A detecting device for detecting a fingerprint sensor, the fingerprint sensor comprising an electrode, the electrode comprising a sensor electrode, wherein the detecting device comprises:

a detecting module, configured to apply a driving signal to a portion of the electrodes in a predetermined manner, and detect an inductive signal to which the other electrodes are coupled until an inductive signal of all the sensor electrodes is obtained;

And a determining module, configured to determine, according to the sensing signal of the sensor electrode, whether the sensor electrode has a defect.
The detecting device according to claim 5, wherein said detecting module applies a driving signal to a portion of said electrodes based on a mutual capacitive sensing principle and detects an induced signal to which said other electrodes are coupled.
The detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the sensor electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the detecting module is configured to:

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of n*k+c rows or columns, where k is a natural number and includes zero, n is a natural number and is greater than or equal to 2, c is a natural number and includes zero, c is less than n, n*k+ c ≤ N, and c is not zero when k is different, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting an inductive signal of the sensor electrode other than the sensor electrode of the n*k+c row or column;

Applying a drive signal to a row or column of the sensor electrodes other than the sensor electrodes of the n*k+c row or column; and

Detecting the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes of the n*k+c row or column.
The detecting device according to claim 5, wherein the sensor electrodes are arranged in a two-dimensional array, and the detecting module is configured to:

Applying a driving signal to the sensor electrodes of 2*k+1 rows or columns, where 2*k+1≤N, k is a natural number and includes zero, and N is the total number of rows or the total number of columns of the sensor electrodes;

Detecting a sensing signal of the sensor electrode of 2k rows or columns;

Applying a drive signal to the sensor electrodes of 2k rows or columns; and

Detecting the sensing signals of the sensor electrodes of 2*k+1 rows or columns.
A fingerprint sensor, comprising:

a plurality of sensor electrodes arranged in a two-dimensional array; and

Detection device, including:

a driving module, selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes, for providing a driving signal to the plurality of sensor electrodes in a time sharing manner;

a receiving module selectively connectable to the plurality of sensor electrodes for receiving a sensing signal from the plurality of sensor electrode outputs; and

The determining module determines whether there is a defective sensor electrode according to the sensing signal received by the receiving module.
The fingerprint sensor according to claim 9, wherein at the same time, the driving module is electrically connected to a part of the sensor electrodes, the receiving module is electrically connected to another part of the sensor electrodes, and the two parts of the sensor electrodes are formed. Mutual capacitance.
The fingerprint sensor according to claim 9, wherein the fingerprint sensor is a mutual capacitive fingerprint sensor when detecting whether the sensor electrode has a defect.
The fingerprint sensor according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the fingerprint sensor further comprises a fingerprint sensing circuit, wherein the fingerprint sensing circuit is configured to drive the plurality of sensor electrodes to perform fingerprint sensing The fingerprint sensor is a self-contained fingerprint sensor when performing fingerprint sensing.
An electronic device comprising the fingerprint sensor of any of claims 9-12.