Miniature Chip Card Detachment via Segmented Web Connections

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing chip card production methods require high forces to detach miniature chip cards, leading to potential destruction and delamination, especially with the ongoing miniaturization of mobile radio terminals, which demands smaller dimensions and thinner profiles for SIM cards, increasing the risk of mechanical stress and malfunction.

Innovation Solution

A chip card design featuring a card body with full-circumferential gaps along the outer contour of the miniature chip card, held by two connections on the side edges, where the connections are shaped as ridges with a width corresponding to half the side edge length, allowing for easy detachment with an ejection force of less than 20 Newtons, and strategically positioned webs to minimize mechanical stress during separation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If high forces are applied to detach miniature chip cards from card bodies using conventional methods (laser perforation, multiple cutting lines), then the miniature chip card can be removed from the card body, but the mechanical stress causes destruction, delamination of the chip module, or breaking of parts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetachability of miniature chip cardVSAvoidintegrity of chip module and miniature chip card
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The card body is segmented into a main body and a detachable miniature chip card portion through a discontinuous outer contour gap. This gap is interrupted by connecting bridges that provide controlled attachment points, allowing the miniature chip card to be separated from the card body by applying force only at specific locations rather than across the entire structure, thereby reducing mechanical stress and preventing destruction

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The connecting bridges are designed with specific local properties: they have optimized widths (5-15 mm) and are positioned at predetermined locations on the outer contour. The bridges create localized stress concentration points that guide the detachment process, ensuring that mechanical stress is applied only at these specific locations rather than distributed across the entire chip card structure, thus preventing delamination and breaking

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Volume of moving object

If the dimensions of miniature chip cards are reduced to meet miniaturization demands (smaller than 3FF format), then mobile radio terminals can be further miniaturized, but the residual wall thickness decreases making the chip card more susceptible to destruction during detachment

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesize of miniature chip cardVSAvoidmechanical strength of miniature chip card
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The card body is pre-configured with discontinuous outer contour gaps and strategically positioned connecting bridges before the miniature chip card needs to be detached. This preliminary structural arrangement ensures that when detachment is required, the mechanical stress is automatically directed to the predetermined bridge locations rather than random areas, preventing destruction even in miniaturized cards with thin residual wall thickness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The connecting bridges are designed with optimized dimensional parameters (width of 5-15 mm, specific positions on the outer contour) that balance the conflicting requirements of providing sufficient holding force during production while enabling easy detachment with minimal stress. These parameter optimizations allow miniaturized chip cards to maintain adequate mechanical strength despite reduced overall dimensions and thinner residual wall thickness

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Ease of operation

If conventional detachment methods (laser perforation, multiple cutting lines) are used, then the miniature chip card can be separated from the card body, but the manufacturing process becomes complex and production time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetachability of miniature chip cardVSAvoidcomplexity of manufacturing process
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The detachment function is extracted from complex manufacturing processes (laser perforation, multiple cutting operations) and embedded directly into the card body structure through the discontinuous outer contour gap and connecting bridges. This structural extraction allows detachment to be achieved by simple mechanical force application at predetermined locations, eliminating the need for complex manufacturing steps while maintaining ease of operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The card body is pre-formed with discontinuous outer contour gaps and connecting bridges during the manufacturing process, so that when the miniature chip card needs to be detached, the structural preparation is already complete. This preliminary structural configuration simplifies the detachment operation to a single force application step, reducing manufacturing complexity and production time compared to methods requiring multiple cutting or perforation operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP2810221B1Chip card with a detachable miniature chip card
Publication Date: 2018.01.10 GIESECKE & DEVRIENT EPAYMENTS GMBH
  • EP2810221B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2810221B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2810221B1 patent drawingFigure 3~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a chip card with a card body (1), wherein a miniature chip card (4) can be detached from the card body (1); an integrated semiconductor circuit (81) is inserted in the miniature chip card; the card body (1) has, along the outer contour of the miniature chip card (4), a complete gap (7), apart from two connections, by means of which the miniature chip card (4) is held in the card body (1), and the two connections (6) are arranged on in each case one side edge of the outer contour of the miniature chip card (4). In this case, both connections (6) are in the form of webs (5).