Patents by Inventor Timothy Alan Dickinson

Timothy Alan Dickinson has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10497748
    Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor pixel includes a substrate, a piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) and a sensor pixel circuit. The PMUT includes a piezoelectric layer stack including a piezoelectric layer disposed over a cavity, the cavity being disposed between the piezoelectric layer stack and the substrate, a reference electrode disposed between the piezoelectric layer and the cavity, and one or both of a receive electrode and a transmit electrode disposed on or proximate to a first surface of the piezoelectric layer, the first surface being opposite from the cavity. The sensor pixel circuit is electrically coupled with one or more of the reference electrode, the receive electrode and the transmit electrode and the PMUT and the sensor pixel circuit are integrated with the sensor pixel circuit on the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Hrishikesh Vijaykumar Panchawagh, Suryaprakash Ganti, Kostadin Dimitrov Djordjev, David William Burns, Timothy Alan Dickinson, Donald William Kidwell, Jr., Ravindra Vaman Shenoy, Jon Bradley Lasiter, Hao-Yen Tang, Yipeng Lu
  • Publication number: 20190361104
    Abstract: An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template. A determination is made as to whether the analysis result and the template are similar, and the object is declared to be alive if the analysis result is determined to be similar to the template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2019
    Publication date: November 28, 2019
    Inventors: Jack KITCHENS, John Keith SCHNEIDER, Stephen Michael GOJEVIC, Timothy Alan DICKINSON, Philip John SCHNEIDER, Evan Michael BRELOFF, Evan Robert HILDRETH
  • Patent number: 10444335
    Abstract: Methods and systems of determining whether an object is alive, and therefore part of a live individual, are described. An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jack Conway Kitchens, II, John Keith Schneider, Stephen Michael Gojevic, Timothy Alan Dickinson, Philip John Schneider, Evan Michael Breloff, Evan Robert Hildreth
  • Publication number: 20170323130
    Abstract: An apparatus may include an ultrasonic receiver array, an ultrasonic transmitter and a control system capable of controlling the ultrasonic transmitter to transmit first ultrasonic waves in a first direction and to simultaneously transmit second ultrasonic waves in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. The control system may be capable of distinguishing first reflected waves from second reflected waves, the first reflected waves corresponding to reflections of the first ultrasonic waves that are received by the ultrasonic receiver array and the second reflected waves corresponding to reflections of the second ultrasonic waves that are received by the ultrasonic receiver array. The control system may be capable of determining first image data corresponding to the first reflected waves and of determining second image data corresponding to the second reflected waves.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2016
    Publication date: November 9, 2017
    Inventors: Timothy Alan Dickinson, Nicholas Ian Buchan, David William Burns, John Keith Schneider, Muhammed Ibrahim Sezan
  • Publication number: 20170285157
    Abstract: Methods and systems of determining whether an object is alive, and therefore part of a live individual, are described. An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Inventors: Jack Conway Kitchens, II, John Keith Schneider, Stephen Michael Gojevic, Timothy Alan Dickinson, Philip John Schneider, Evan Michael Breloff, Evan Robert Hildreth
  • Patent number: 9726755
    Abstract: Methods and systems of determining whether an object is alive, and therefore part of a live individual, are described. An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Jack Conway Kitchens, II, John Keith Schneider, Stephen Michael Gojevic, Timothy Alan Dickinson, Philip John Schneider, Evan Breloff, Evan Robert Hildreth
  • Publication number: 20170110504
    Abstract: An ultrasonic sensor pixel includes a substrate, a piezoelectric micromechanical ultrasonic transducer (PMUT) and a sensor pixel circuit. The PMUT includes a piezoelectric layer stack including a piezoelectric layer disposed over a cavity, the cavity being disposed between the piezoelectric layer stack and the substrate, a reference electrode disposed between the piezoelectric layer and the cavity, and one or both of a receive electrode and a transmit electrode disposed on or proximate to a first surface of the piezoelectric layer, the first surface being opposite from the cavity. The sensor pixel circuit is electrically coupled with one or more of the reference electrode, the receive electrode and the transmit electrode and the PMUT and the sensor pixel circuit are integrated with the sensor pixel circuit on the substrate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Inventors: Hrishikesh Vijaykumar Panchawagh, Suryaprakash Ganti, Kostadin Dimitrov Djordjev, David William Burns, Timothy Alan Dickinson, Donald William Kidwell, JR., Ravindra Vaman Shenoy, Jon Bradley Lasiter, Hao-Yen Tang, Yipeng Lu
  • Publication number: 20170082740
    Abstract: Methods and systems of determining whether an object is alive, and therefore part of a live individual, are described. An object having an outer surface (e.g. a friction-ridge surface of a finger) and internal parts (e.g. tissue layer, papillae, blood vessels, fat, muscle, nail and bone) is scanned by a system having a transmitter, receiver and computer. One such system has a substantially planar piezoelectric transmit-layer, an ultrasonic receiver array having a plurality of receivers, and a platen. The transmit layer is caused to produce an ultrasound plane-wave traveling toward the object residing on the platen. Using the ultrasonic receiver, ultrasonic energy that has been reflected from the object is detected. The detected ultrasonic energy is analyzed to provide an analysis result, and the analysis result is compared to a template.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Publication date: March 23, 2017
    Inventors: Jack Conway Kitchens, II, John Keith Schneider, Stephen Michael Gojevic, Timothy Alan Dickinson, Phillip John Schneider, Evan Breloff, Evan Robert Hildreth
  • Publication number: 20160246396
    Abstract: An object detection system for capturing one or more sensor images of an object is provided that includes a touch system including a touch-sensitive screen and a display of a device. The object detection system also includes a sensor system including a sensor array and a processing component. The sensor array is coupled to the touch-sensitive screen, and the processing component is configured to capture one or more images of an object when the object is detected by the touch-sensitive screen. At least a portion of the sensor array overlaps with at least a portion of the touch-sensitive screen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2015
    Publication date: August 25, 2016
    Inventors: Timothy Alan Dickinson, David William Burns, Fitzgerald John Archibald, John Keith Schneider, Ravit Dennis, Lior Barenboim