Capacitive Coupling Probe for Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for tracking pharmaceutical products in the supply chain, such as near field communication using RFID, face limitations in data integrity and confidentiality, making it difficult to validate the authenticity and origin of products from manufacturer to end user.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing capacitive plates to probe products with conductive materials, enabling capacitive coupling to verify the presence and configuration of conductive components, thereby indicating product validity or nonconformance, ensuring authenticity and origin throughout the supply chain.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If near field communication (RFID) is used to track pharmaceutical products, then product tracking capability is provided, but data integrity and confidentiality are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces electromagnetic field-based RFID technology with capacitive coupling technology. The capacitive plates form a capacitor with the conductive components of the product, allowing electrical energy transfer and data communication through capacitive coupling rather than electromagnetic induction. This substitution resolves the contradiction by providing enhanced data integrity and confidentiality while maintaining product tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameter from electromagnetic frequency (RFID) to capacitive coupling electrical properties. By measuring changes in capacitive coupling strength and electrical characteristics, the system can verify product authenticity and track products throughout the supply chain with improved data integrity and security.
2Reliability
If capacitive coupling is used to probe conductive materials, then product validity is verified, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The capacitive plates serve multiple functions: they act as both the probing element for detection and the capacitive element for electrical coupling. The same capacitive coupling mechanism enables both power transfer to the product's conductive components and data communication, reducing the need for separate systems and thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining verification reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The product's own conductive components serve dual purposes: they are both the target for capacitive probing and the source for capacitive coupling communication. The product essentially communicates with itself through its conductive elements, eliminating the need for complex external reading devices and reducing system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The capacitive coupling system effectively verifies product authenticity and origin, enhancing data integrity and confidentiality, ensuring accurate tracking and validation of pharmaceutical products from manufacturer to consumer.
Implementation Method 1
The use of capacitive coupling to probe the product's conductive materials and components by the capacitive plates may indicate the presence of the correct configuration of conductive components of the product
Data Source
AI summary
A system for tracking a product from origin to destination is disclosed. The system includes a probe that comprises two plates, a power source and a processor. The power source is controlled by the processor to produce an oscillating output at the plates. Using the oscillating voltage, the probe interrogates a device through capacitive coupling. The device includes a control unit, a memory unit, and first and second materials physically associated with the device for communication using capacitive coupling. Information associated with the device is transferred from the device to the probe through capacitive coupling between the first and second materials and the first and second plates, respectively.