Apple Patents LED-Based Fingerprint Solution for its iPhone 8

Apple has patented a new authentication solution for smartphones which would see a range of micro-LEDs used for fingerprint recognition

United States: As published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday, Apple's U.S. Patent No. 9,570,002 details a new authentication solution to be used in smartphones, which would use an interactive display panel with IR diodes which are to be used for fingerprint recognition. The patented system envisions touch panels that are embedded into certain sections of the screen. Apple has already included a capacitive drive ring in the home button to power the Touch ID which is used to authenticate the user’s identity. This technology could be related to display technology inherited from LuxVue, which is a Micro LED company which was acquired by Apple in May 2014.

TechSci Research depicts that with increasing research & development conducted in Infrared LED segment, newer technologies are being adopted which are set to increase the applicability of infrared LED products in application segments such as biosecurity, imaging etc.

According to a recently published report by TechSci Research, “Global Infrared LED Market By Application (Imaging, Lighting, Surveillance, Automotive & Others), By Region (Asia-Pacific, Americas, Europe, and Middle East and Africa) and Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2010 – 2020’’, the global infrared LED market is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 9% during 2015-2020. Major factors propelling growth in the global infrared LED market include rising use of infrared LEDs in smartphones for iris recognition, and increasing use of these LEDs in CCTVs and surveillance systems. Asia-Pacific is the largest regional market for infrared LEDs in the world, due to the increasing penetration of these LEDs in smartphones, automotive, surveillance systems and other segments. Epistar Corporation, Nichia Corporation, Everlight Electronics, High Power Lighting, etc. are among the major Infrared LED companies involved in manufacturing infrared LEDs for various end user applications.