Leather Smart Card Composite Layering for Comfort and Aesthetics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smart cards made from plastic materials lack aesthetic appeal and provide poor user comfort due to temperature fluctuations and stiff handling experience.
Innovation Solution
A leather smart card design featuring a hard layer with an RFID chip and communication coil, surrounded by soft and leather layers, with a soft layer made from ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and cotton fibers, and an adhesive film layer of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber, enhancing comfort, waterproofing, and visual aesthetics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If plastic materials (PVC, ABS, PETG) are used for smart card base, then manufacturing cost and ease of manufacture are improved, but visual aesthetics and user comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by combining plastic base material with leather material layers. The smart card comprises a plastic card base and a leather material layer disposed on the card base, creating a composite structure that merges the manufacturing advantages of plastic with the aesthetic and tactile advantages of leather, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and visual aesthetics.
2Shape
If metal layer is disposed on smart card for aesthetic effect, then visual appearance is improved, but thermal comfort deteriorates due to excessive surface temperature in summer and winter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the problematic metal layer with a leather material layer that combines aesthetic appearance with favorable thermal properties. The leather material provides visual appeal similar to metal gloss while maintaining thermal insulation characteristics that prevent excessive heat conduction, thereby resolving the contradiction between visual appearance and thermal comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from metal to leather, fundamentally altering the thermal conductivity characteristics. This parameter change enables the card surface to maintain comfortable temperatures by reducing thermal conduction, while still achieving the desired aesthetic effect through the leather material's natural appearance.
3Ease of operation
If leather material layer is added to improve aesthetics and handfeel, then visual appeal and comfort are improved, but device complexity and manufacturing process deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the smart card into distinct functional layers: a plastic card base layer for structural support and electronic components, and a separate leather material layer for aesthetic and tactile enhancement. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized independently and simplifies the manufacturing process by enabling separate production and assembly of layers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material construction where the leather material layer is disposed on the card base, creating a multi-layer composite structure. This approach improves handfeel comfort and visual appeal while managing complexity through layered architecture that allows independent optimization of each material's function.
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 leather smart card offers improved handfeel, visual appeal, and comfort while maintaining waterproof and thermal insulation performance, providing a more aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly experience.
Implementation Method 1
the soft layer made of the ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer material does not need to be bonded to the hard layer by using an adhesive film layer, thereby simplifying a process
Implementation Method 2
a material of the adhesive film layer comprises thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber. Consequently, the waterproof performance of the leather smart card can be improved by using the adhesive film layer of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber material
Implementation Method 3
the soft layer using cotton fibers can maintain humidity balance of the leather layer, and has a good thermal insulation effect, thereby effectively improving use comfort of the leather smart card
Implementation Method 4
the disposed soft layer can further improve the comfort of holding the smart card
Data Source
AI summary
A leather smart card is provided. The leather smart card includes a hard layer. A radio frequency identification (RFID) chip and a communication coil are disposed in the hard layer, and the RFID chip is electrically connected to the communication coil. The smart card further includes a leather layer and a soft layer. The soft layer is disposed on two back-to-back sides of the hard layer, and the leather layer is disposed on the side of the soft layer facing away from the hard layer. A material of the soft layer includes an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and a thickness of the soft layer is 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm. Consequently the leather smart card is not only aesthetic and waterproof, but also greatly improves comfort of using the smart card.