At the center of biometrics are fingerprint scanners. Today, you’ll learn more about the different types of fingerprint scanner available in the market. You’ll also learn how they work and their applications. Let’s dig in to discover more!
What Are Fingerprint Scanners and How Do They Work?
Fingerprint scanners are optical devices designed and created to capture a person’s fingerprint's unique qualities. So how do they work? When you place your finger on the fingerprint scanner’s glass panel, it produces bright light that bounces off the panel onto the lens to capture the print image.These scanners have advanced optical systems that fully reduce the direct sunlight and ambient light effect allowing the capture of fingerprints from dark, stained or marked fingers. They have sensors that capture images and convert the valleys and ridges of the print into current data. This process creates a person’s fingerprint code.
The current data is processed, transferred to a custom-built system, and checked against stored data to identify and verify a person. On most fingerprint scanner user interfaces, LEDs are available to indicate that fingerprints have been captured. Also, they provide feedback on the prints' quality and type.
What are the Main Applications of Fingerprint Scanners?
A range of fingerprint scanner applications is available, especially in sectors where the identification of people is crucial. High-quality fingerprint scanners are usually FBI-certified, making them ideal for private systems and state agencies globally.Fingerprint scanning is applied in different industries and workplaces, such as front-desk identification, banking enrolment, citizen enrolment, electronic gates, and immigration and border control verification. These devices can also be used when issuing and verifying IDs and essential documents such as visas, driver’s licenses, and passports.
Also, fingerprint scanners can be used for non-official applications such as providing access to gates, doors, phones, and computers and making payments. The primary industries that use fingerprint scanners include security, government, health, and law enforcement.
What Are the Popular Types of Fingerprint Scanners?
Not every fingerprint scanner is suitable for every application. That is why they are available in different types, which include single-finger, dual-finger, ten-finger, and palm scanners. While these fingerprint scanner types offer the same services, they only differ in how many fingers they can accommodate or scan simultaneously.Also, the number of fingers makes them ideal for different applications. For example, palm scanners are used in biometric identification cases, where they determine a person’s identity in law enforcement applications like refugee camps, police stations, and prisons. When buying a fingerprint scanner, you need to remember that the more the number of fingers, the higher the accuracy level.
