Fingerprint sensors can be flawlessly integrated into products that became a game-changer in the biometric segment.
The PiFinger is the first-ever fingerprint HAT sensor for Raspberry Pi that has gained a reputation already among the Raspberry Pi community. PiFinger has a sleek design that can be used for any task like an Attendance system, Lock/Unlock Raspberry Pi, Authentication for doors, and many other things. SB Components organization developed the PiFinger and made it useful for public consumption from 23rd November 2020. The basic idea of SB Components organization for the PiFinger is to provide a technologically advanced Fingerprint HAT for Raspberry Pi to scale up the efficiency of the user.
Abstract
Now the world has become modern and advanced because of the increment in the level of technology. Nowadays Fingerprint recognition has become a daily part of our lives where mobile phones, tablets, and even laptops now feature fingerprint recognition functionality as standard. Various sectors are using advanced technology to make the life of the customers better with their products or services. A huge amount of money is spending on research and technology to improve the quality of outcomes. The increase in the value of the companies also causes insecurities in the business because of which numerous companies have faced losses. Biometric solutions are the modern-day methods for security as they are all universal, measurable, unique, and permanent. There are mainly two classes where biometric solutions are getting used: to smooth the process and to avoid any unwanted access.
Technology of PiFinger
PiFinger is a high-performance device for Raspberry Pi that provides accuracy with power simultaneously. It consists of an onboard Nuvoton MCU with an on-chip crypto-accelerator, Cortex-M23 TrustZone, and XOM facilities that make it powerful to perform the task efficiently. Nuvoton MCU also works as an interface IC and control unit on my board with stability. It can be interfaced with commands over the UART protocol with the Baud rate 115200 bps or USB 2.0 full speed. It comprises a High-speed Processor, a High-performance fingerprint algorithm, and a Flash chip.
PiFinger Hardware Specification
It has a powerful fingerprint sensor, that runs on capacitive-contact technology, which is a 2D capacitive fingerprint sensor with an active scanning area of 8.8 x 8x8 mm, and a resolution of 176 x 176 pixels. The sensor of the PiFinger is based on the capacitive coupling that can detect and measure anything that is conductive or has a dielectric, different from the air. The sensor has a hardened surface and enhanced ESD immunity. You can directly connect PiFinger via USB to PC or control the MCU/processor over a serial UART interface. If you want to use and control PiFinger with Raspberry Pi or PC application then a user needs to connect the PiFinger to the PC first by a USB or UART otherwise you can also stack PiFinger on the top of Raspberry Pi’s GPIO header directly.
PiFinger is one of the advanced devices that comes with the open-source license that people can use in their DIY projects or their industries. It offers an indistinguishable experience of PiFinger that would raise the level of curiosity to learn about the technology. It has an OLED display of 0.91” and has a storage capacity of 24 fingerprints. PiFinger consists of a 40 pin GPIO header and LED indicators. The matching model of the PiFinger is 1:1; 1:N. The sensor of PiFinger has the 2D capacitive Fingerprint area sensor with a sensor array of 176x176 pixels. It has a 508 DPI spatial resolution with an 8-bit pixel value/256 gray level that raises the quality of PiFinger. The sensor communicates with the board of PiFinger from the High-speed SPI interface. It has an Image capture speed up to 2MP/sec and consists of the 8.8mm x 8.8 mm active sensing area. The image ratio of length to width is 1:1. If we look at the ESD protection then it is +/- 15kV(Air mode).
Applications
There are numerous applications of the PiFinger that would enhance the efficiency of the user in a variety of segments. PiFinger allows the user to be safe as well as facilitate their life that increases their comfort.
- Raspberry Pi lock system - One can connect the PiFinger with their computer systems to give it protection from unwanted access. Data of a person is valuable to them that might be in threat if it does not get enough protection. A user can ensure their computer safety by the use of PiFinger because of which only an authorized person can be allowed to access the computer. A user can connect it with the Raspberry Pi that would secure the system that would be beneficial to the user.
- Government system - PiFinger has a large extent of application in the projects of the government. If we take an example then at the border there are high chances for the intruders to come into an unauthorized territory. PiFinger will also facilitate the system of the government that would increase their security with efficiency as well.
- Pharmaceutical companies - It is essential to take care of the medicines and chemical composition in a pharmaceutical facility. PiFinger can be used as a security measure in the places in the pharmaceutical companies where only authorized persons are allowed to come. If there is any doping happen in the chemical compositions then it might change the equilibrium of the system of those medicines. PiFinger would not only increase the efficiency of the premise but also make the work easier for the employees.
- Attendance System - At the workspace biometric systems are useful to get the information of the employees for the tracking of their workforce. It becomes easy for employers to handle their team with the data that would make their profits higher. It also helps the payroll team to make the salaries of their staff that become effortless. It makes the premise of the company secure that would help an employer to guard their office and staff. There is valuable data of the company in the office that might get stolen from unwanted people. PiFinger would provide safety to the company that would increase their productivity and sales as more customers come to the brands that are safe and secured.
- Automobile Industry - A recent study conducted, by “Frost and Sullivan projects”, that there will be biometric systems in every one out of three cars by the year 2025. PiFinger can be used in these cars where the driver can personalize their car by just touching the sensor of the PiFinger. There are things like seat heights, music, temperature, etc that can be automated by touch. It would make the driver’s experience of riding a car better that will make a user happy. The ability of the car to know its driver enhances the technology that will be a further step for the science in the automobile segment.
Conclusion
In this article, we presented a variety of applications of PiFinger that can be used in various places. There is no end to the imagination and a user can utilize the PiFinger as per their need and requirements.
We also presented the specifications and features of the PiFinger so that an individual can use the product at the right place. It helps the user to develop more machines or systems where PiFinger can scale up the performance of the system. A detailed analysis of PiFinger is mentioned in the article by the usage of examples in the application segment.
