Xiaomi: Entire display to scan fingerprints
Smartphones should be able to scan fingerprints anywhere on the display. Xiaomi has received a patent in China for this unlocking simplification.
The smartphone giant is said to have submitted the application for the new technology to the Chinese patent database, Gizmochina reports. The documents of the patent application show how the new full-screen scanner is supposed to work.
A layer of infrared LEDs is central to the unlocking process. Xiaomi wants to install these between the touchscreen surface and the AMOLED display. The infrared LEDs consist of light transmitters and light receivers that are supposed to detect the finger and thus unlock the smartphone.
LED layer detects fingerprints
Current smartphone models with a fingerprint sensor in the display can only be unlocked if users place their finger exactly on the area where the sensor is located under the display. With the new technology, users should be able to press their fingers anywhere on the display for unlocking.
As the patent application shows, the touchscreen registers the touch and remembers its exact position and outline of the fingertip. The smartphone's LED light emitters then illuminate this exact outline so that the infrared light is reflected back toward the LED light receiver after contact with the fingertip. In this way, the device is able to recognize the fingerprint of the user and match it with the stored outlines. If these match, the device is unlocked.
Market launch unclear
Xiaomi is not the only manufacturer working on full-screen unlocking. Chinese competitor Huawei has already filed a similar patent for the markets in China, Europe, the USA, Japan, Korea and India in August 2020. However, no manufacturer has presented devices with this technology yet. If and when a full-screen scanner for fingerprints will be available on devices is currently still unclear.
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