Fingerprint scanners are security systems of

biometrics Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify i ...

. They are used in police stations, security industries,

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whi ...

s, and other

mobile devices A mobile device (or handheld computer) is a computer small enough to hold and operate in the hand. Mobile devices typically have a flat LCD or OLED screen, a touchscreen interface, and digital or physical buttons. They may also have a physical ...

Function

Everyone has patterns of friction ridges on their fingers, and it is this pattern that is called the

fingerprint A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...

. Fingerprints are uniquely detailed, durable over an individual's lifetime, and difficult to alter. Because there are countless combinations, fingerprints have become an ideal means of identification.

Types of fingerprint scanners

There are four types of fingerprint scanners: optical scanners, capacitance scanners, ultrasonic scanners, and thermal scanners. The basic function of every type of scanner is to obtain an image of a person's fingerprint and find a match for it in its

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases ...

. The measure of the fingerprint image quality is in dots per inch (DPI). # Optical scanners take a visual image of the fingerprint using a digital camera. # Capacitive or CMOS scanners use capacitors and thus electrical current to form an image of the fingerprint. This type of scanner tends to excel in terms of precision. # Ultrasonic fingerprint scanners use high frequency sound waves to penetrate the epidermal (outer) layer of the skin. # Thermal scanners sense the temperature differences on the contact surface, in between fingerprint ridges and valleys. All fingerprint scanners are susceptible to be fooled by a technique that involves photographing fingerprints, processing the photographs using special software, and printing fingerprint replicas using a 3D printer.

Construction forms

There are two construction forms: the stagnant and the moving fingerprint scanner. * Stagnant: The finger must be dragged over the small scanning area. This is cheaper and less reliable than the moving form. Imaging can be less than ideal when the finger is not dragged over the scanning area at constant speed. * Moving: The finger lies on the scanning area while the scanner runs underneath. Because the scanner moves at constant speed over the fingerprint, imaging is superior.

Usage form

Stand-alone readers

Microsoft released a fingerprint reader in 2005.

Integrated readers

From early 2000, some laptops with

PC Card In computing, PC Card is a configuration for computer parallel communication peripheral interface, designed for laptop computers. Originally introduced as PCMCIA, the PC Card standard as well as its successors like CardBus were defined and devel ...

support can be equipped with readers; for example,

Compaq Armada Armada is a discontinued line of business laptops by Compaq. They started as a more affordable version of the Contura line, but after that, they replaced Contura as a mainstream laptop line, and then the high-end Compaq LTE line were merged wit ...

E500 can be optionally equipped by external fingerprint reader since 2000 - the reader module was released by

Toshiba , commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, ...

. IBM produced laptops with integrated readers since 2004. Apple's marketing name of electronic fingerprint recognition, known as Touch ID, was introduced in 2013 only for smartphones, and laptop option was released only in 2016. The implementation was delayed until 2013 just because the integrated with

optical trackpad An optical trackpad is an input device based on an optical sensor, which detects the displacement of a finger that is moving on top of it. The sensor is used typically in smartphones, where it replaces the D-pad, and in ultra-portable or ultra-mob ...

scanner were be patented by RIM (

Blackberry The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy ...

) in 2004. Blackberry produced smartphones with readers since 2010 - the first model with feature was a budget

Blackberry Curve BlackBerry Curve is a brand of professional smartphones that were manufactured by BlackBerry Ltd from 2007 until 2013. Early series Curve 8300 Series The BlackBerry Curve brand was introduced on May 3, 2007 with OS version 4.5 with the Curve 8 ...

References

{{Reflist Computer hardware Fingerprints Biometrics