Patent ID: 6829375
Filing Date: 2004-12-07
Classification: G06K

Abstract:
A fingerprint input apparatus comprising:an image sensor composed of: (a) a two-dimensional substrate; (b) a two-dimensional image sensor formed on said substrate and made of a large number of light-receiving means arranged in a matrix on said substrate; and (c) a thin, transparent non-conductive member covering and protecting the light-receiving means, an image of the fingerprint pattern being directly input to a light-receiving surface of said light-receiving means; and a fingerprint recognition section receiving a signal representing an image of a fingerprint from said two-dimensional image sensor, when a fingerprint to be imaged is placed on said thin, transparent non-conductive member so as to be in close proximity to said two-dimensional image sensor only scattered light emerging from a finger that is directly received by said two-dimensional image sensor, wherein light emerging from ridge portions of the fingerprint in contact with said thin, transparent non-conductive member passes through said member to light-receiving elements in close proximity to the ridge portions of the fingerprint and detected as bright portions of the fingerprint image but light emerging from valley portions of the fingerprint and therefore not in contact with said thin, transparent non-conductive member is refracted from said member and scattered within a skin and air interface between said member and the valley portions so as to become diffuse and detected as dark portions of the fingerprint, thereby producing an image of the fingerprint input to said fingerprint recognition section.