Patent Document ID: 6049620
Application ID: 08855230
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A method for detecting a fingerprint from a finger surface, the method using a plurality of sense elements, the method comprising the steps of: placing the finger surface over the plurality of sense elements; measuring electrical signals from the plurality of sense elements, the electrical signals indicative of an interaction between the plurality of sense elements and the finger surface; forming the electrical signals into a representation of the fingerprint from the finger surface; evaluating the quality of the representation of the fingerprint; and if the representation is of poor quality due to a quality of the finger surface, adjusting a gain of the plurality of sense elements, and measuring the electrical signals again to form another representation of the fingerprint, wherein adjusting the gain includes adjusting a current feeding into each of the plurality of sense elements or adjusting a time interval before a measurement is made.