Apple has been granted a patent that would allow the company to offer alternative forms of biometric authentication on its MacBook and Mac computers. Currently, the Cupertino company supports unlocking Mac computers through Touch ID on some models. The company introduced Face ID on the iPhone X in 2017, which uses a series of sensors to securely authenticate users through facial recognition. While Apple hasn’t indicated plans to add Face ID to future MacBook models, the company’s most recent laptops feature a display notch that looks similar to the ones the company has seen on its smartphones since 2017.
Patently Apple found that the company’s latest patent related to computerized facial recognition was granted on August 15, nearly four years after it was filed in September 2019.The 34-page U.S. patent 11727718-B2 Paul Wang, Keith Hendren, Adam Garelli, Antonio Clarke, Joshua Daigle, and Dinesh Mathew are the inventors of the technology.
Photo credit: Apple/USPTO
The patent filing contains various diagrams of hardware modules capable of light pattern recognition. This hardware module (shown in Figure 4D with an array of sensors) sits on top of the display of a computer that looks like the MacBook in Figure 1A and the desktop Mac computer in Figure 10.
The module shown in Figure 4D appears to be similar to the Face ID sensor array on the latest iPhone models, which provides advanced depth mapping for secure facial recognition. According to the patented module, the bracket assembly housing the module includes a camera, a flood illuminator, a second camera, an environmental sensor indicator, a camera indicator, and a spot projector.
It’s worth noting that while Apple recently introduced a notch on MacBook models, the company hasn’t announced any plans to bring Face ID support to future MacBook and Mac models. The hardware needed to support features like Face ID may require more space than a MacBook’s thin lid — the thickness of an iPhone shows how much space such a system might take up on a laptop — especially on a model like the MacBook Air.
The patent filing suggests that Apple is also considering the possibility of mounting the facial recognition array in another location. instead of the display notch shown in the previous image.
Photo credit: Apple/USPTO
Another image shows a MacBook with a different system that may not require a display notch. Figure 8A shows a module that emits infrared light (IR) to identify users. This section can be hidden under a panel on the device, Figure 7 shows where this module is located on a MacBook.
Apple is also known for keeping features under wraps until they’re officially unveiled at an event, meaning that aside from leaks and rumors, it’s unlikely we’ll get confirmation about the feature and whether it’ll end up on an Apple computer. future.
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