Apple prepares advanced technology for under-screen Touch ID
A Apple Apple Inc. has been improving its under-screen fingerprint recognition technology to create a much more interesting version of the old Touch ID in future generations of iPhones. A newly published patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office hints at this possibility.
In the patent, discovered by the website Patently Apple, the Cupertino company describes its new under-display Touch ID system as “more accurate and reliable” than conventional ones. It is, according to the company, a sophisticated detection system that uses “off-axis angular illumination” to read fingerprints without having to increase the size of the components.
Most optical under-screen fingerprint scanning systems work by using light emitted from the phone's screen. The light under the user's finger reflects the fingerprint, which is then authenticated through tiny gaps between the screen's pixels.
The problem is that, due to the “low light transfer and diffraction rate”, according to the Apple, fingerprint images are often subject to poor contrast and signal-to-noise ratio. This makes fingerprint reading difficult and increases the time to authenticate a user.
Sketch for under-screen fingerprint recognition system Apple (Reproduction/US Patent and Trademark Office)
how the system works
A Apple proposes a system in which off-axis angular illumination is captured by interdependent filters located between the screen and the sensor. According to the company, the method “improves the contrast of fingerprints and maintains the compactness of the entire detection system”.
The system has two main layers that work together: an internal layer and an external layer that is more transparent. The first emits light and is configured to illuminate any surface touched by the second, allowing the transmission of light rays to other layers. A third optical layer under the screen “twists the mirrored light rays” which are then interpreted by a collimator and a pixelated sensor.
Rumors have been circulating for a few months now that the Apple flirts with the return of the biometric sensor. In September last year, the website Patently Apple reported the existence of a patent for Touch ID with an optical sensor under the screen. Shortly after, the company also filed a new patent application for the feature, this time in the Apple Watch.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple is working on the possibility of launching an iPhone with an under-screen Touch ID sensor in 2023. Other sources, such as Barclays, anticipate the date for later this year. The last time the feature appeared on a smartphone from the company was in 2017, with the iPhone 8 Plus.
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