14 DAY TRIAL // The fingerprint sensor embedded into the screen has been one hot topic this year, especially because the world’s biggest phone makers, namely Samsung and Apple, originally planned to introduce similar tech on their 2017 flagships, but both failed to do it.
And while Apple appears to have given up on the idea, with the iPhone 8 launching with no fingerprint sensor, but with facial recognition, here’s a sign that Cupertino might still be planning an iPhone model with Touch ID embedded into the display. Only that it won’t be seeing daylight this year.
A new patent called “Active sensing element for acoustic imaging systems” spotted by AI describes a new technology that Apple has already developed and which basically comes down to putting a fingerprint imaging technology right under the display of a smartphone.
Still in patent stage for the time being
In just a few words, the system uses acoustics instead of an optic sensor to scan users’ fingerprints, making it possible to give up on the physical button and put the technology under other components, like the display. For our more tech-savvy readers, here’s the abstract section of the patent and for full technical details, head over to the patent page:
“An acoustic fingerprint imaging system having a plurality of acoustic elements, each acoustic element including a transducer, and independent drive and sense circuitry is disclosed. Drive circuitry may require higher voltage than low voltage sense circuitry. Many embodiments described herein include a ground shifting controller to apply a voltage bias to the low voltage sense circuitry during a drive operation, in order to prevent electrical damage to the sense circuitry.”
At this point, it’s not exactly clear when this technology could reach mass-production, it if ever does it, though there’s no doubt that both Apple and Samsung are still willing to give fingerprint sensors embedded into the screen a try.
For the time being, however, Apple appears to be going for facial recognition on the new iPhone 8 and for the standard approach with an optic sensor in the Home button for the iPhone 7s and 7s Plus. Samsung will probably launch the Galaxy S9 with the fingerprint sensor on the back in the spring of 2018, but analysts expect the tech to be ready for the Galaxy Note 9 in the summer of the next year.