Samsung’s New Patent To Make The Entire Screen A Fingerprint Reader
With great leaps in smartphone technology, users are getting safer and more convenient ways to unlock their smartphones with each passing year. The first major breakthrough after basic security features such as pins and patterns was the inclusion of biometric security in smartphones. Slowly, that evolved, became faster and more secure. It is now present under the display, eliminating the need for a physical sensor. However, the latest patent by Samsung is now taking this a step further. Samsung is planning to turn the entire screen into a fingerprint reader.
The Future Of Displays
Currently, in-display fingerprint readers only cover a certain area of the screen and are not very accessible. The positioning of the fingerprint sensor is of the utmost importance. Just having it limited to a certain area on the screen is not ideal for any user. The latest patent from Samsung might solve this issue. The patent describes a way to make the entire display into a fingerprint scanner. This means that no matter where the user will place their hand, the device will be able to read the fingerprint and unlock.
The patent also describes that the device having this feature will have two processors. This consists of a main processor and a second, low power processor. The low power processor functions even when the display is not on. At the same time, the main processor is in sleep mode to save power. This secondary processor will then detect any touch and thus activate the biometric sensor. The smartphone will then conduct three scans for which it needs between 60 to 90 milliseconds. The processor needs 200 to 300 milliseconds to compute all this.
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It is reported that the technology is being made for use on a folding display and might be seen on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy F device. However, some sources also say that the technology in the patent will not be seen anytime soon and that we will have to wait a few more years for it to be available. But, immense competition from Chinese manufacturers might just drive Samsung to crack the whip and bring out this innovation faster.
