Today, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals the invention behind Apple’s secret to making the iPhone 6s Touch ID work twice as fast. The video below shows just how much faster Touch ID is on the iPhone 6s.
Touch ID is Twice as Fast on iPhone 6s
So what is Apple’s secret behind making the Touch ID in the iPhone 6s twice as fast? Simple, they use a two-processor system, according to Apple’s patent filing and patent FIG. 5 below.
Apple states in their patent filing that “… at least one processor may be capable of performing a first matching to determine a first matching score of sensed finger biometric data from the finger biometric sensor against finger biometric template data stored in the memory, and indicating a match and updating the finger biometric template data when the first matching score exceeds a first threshold.
The at least one processor may also be capable of performing a second matching of the sensed finger biometric data against the stored finger biometric template data to determine a second matching score when the first matching score does not exceed the first threshold, and updating the finger biometric template data stored in the memory when the second matching score is above a second threshold. The second matching is slower but more accurate than the first matching. Accordingly, a more efficient finger biometric match and finger biometric template may be performed, for example, with a reduced impact on user experience or processing time and matching accuracy.
Apple’s iPhone 6s Feature Describes Faster Touch ID
Apple’s patent application 20160125223 titled ‘Electronic Devices including Multiple Speed and Multiple Accuracy Finger Biometric Matching and related Methods’ was originally filed in Q4 2014. Considering that this is a patent application, the timing of such a idea to market is unknown at this time. Interestingly the patent filing notes that three of the four inventors are from the Czech Republic which may suggest that Apple or AuthenTec acquired this patent.
