1998 Product of the Year Award Winner
Fingerprint sensor simplifies
personal identification
With the proliferation of electronic commerce and online information
technology, the challenge to keep data protected and personal is increasing.
The OpenTouch fingerprint recognition chip, part of a complete recognition
system from the manufacturer, provides biometric identification capability
to any electronic device.
The Veridicom OpenTouch fingerprint
recognition sensor for the first time provides
electronic security in a single commercial
hardware solution.
The OpenTouch system can replace passwords and PINs, provide access
to computers and networks, secure laptop computers, and serve as a key
for encryption and decryption of confidential files. OpenTouch can be built
into smart cards and bank cards to reduce ATM and POS fraud and serve as
the ultimate personal key for Internet commerce.
The OpenTouch chip is a modified low-power CMOS imaging chip receiving
capacitive rather than optical images. A grid array of sensor plates using
the top metal layer of a CMOS chip is covered with a thin layer of dielectric.
When a finger is placed on top of the chip, the sensor grid acts as the
bottom plate of a capacitor, with the surface of the finger acting as the
top plate. Accompanying circuitry measures the varying capacitance of the
result to generate the fingerprint image.
The OpenTouch system consists of four components: the silicon sensor,
which measures the “ridges and valleys” of the finger pressed
against the chip; analysis software, which reconstructs the fingerprint
in digital form and searches for unique features (minutia) that identify
an individual; matching software, which uses special algorithms to match
the current fingerprint to the “enrollment” sample given by the
user; and data protection software, which protects fingerprints from unauthorized
copying or tampering.
The chip uses a 300 x 300 array with 500-dpi resolution. It features
a power consumption of 100 mW at 3.3 V and an integrated temperature sensor
and resistance sensor to prevent spoofing. ($30 ea/10,000–available now.)
Veridicom
Santa Clara, CA
Thomas Rowley 408-588-9400
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