Magnetic Reading Head Faraday Cage Shielding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current payment terminals with magnetic reading heads lack effective security measures to protect against electromagnetic disturbances, making data reading insecure and vulnerable to unauthorized access or manipulation.

Innovation Solution

A magnetic reading head with a protective envelope, specifically a Faraday cage made from a flexible printed circuit, is integrated to shield against electromagnetic interference, ensuring secure data reading by limiting access to only the designated reading face and preventing unauthorized data transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a protective envelope (Faraday cage) is added to the magnetic reading head, then security against electromagnetic disturbances is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity against electromagnetic disturbancesVSAvoidstructure of magnetic reading head
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The Faraday cage envelope is nested around the magnetic reading head components, creating a protective enclosure that contains the sensitive reading elements while blocking electromagnetic disturbances from external sources

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The Faraday cage acts as an intermediary barrier between the magnetic reading head and external electromagnetic fields, filtering out harmful disturbances while allowing the magnetic card to physically contact the reading face for data transmission

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If the magnetic reading head is exposed without shielding, then ease of manufacture is improved, but vulnerability to electromagnetic interference increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing of magnetic reading headVSAvoidelectromagnetic interference
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A flexible Faraday cage envelope made from thin conductive material is used to shield the magnetic reading head, providing electromagnetic protection while maintaining ease of assembly and manufacturing compared to rigid shielding structures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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 solution significantly enhances the security of data reading by blocking electromagnetic disturbances and preventing fraudulent data transmission, thereby securing the magnetic card reading process within payment terminals.

Implementation Method 1

A magnetic reading head with a protective envelope, specifically a Faraday cage made from a flexible printed circuit, is integrated to shield against electromagnetic interference

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFaraday cage: Faraday Cage

Implementation Method 2

the end of the magnetic read head comes into physical contact with the magnetic track of the magnetic card, and it measures the polarization of magnetic particles on portions of the magnetic track considered

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic field detection: Magnetic Field

Data Source

PatentEP3097510B1Magnetic head for a payment terminal
Publication Date: 2018.12.12 COMPAGNIE INDUSTRIELLE ET FINANCIERE D INGENIERIE INGENICO SA
  • EP3097510B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3097510B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3097510B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a magnetic reading head designed to be mounted in a terminal, said head having a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and comprising a face for reading data from a magnetic strip, said face comprising at least one component for reading data from a magnetic strip. According to the invention, such a magnetic reading head comprises at least one envelope for protecting against electromagnetic disturbances, said envelope being positioned on at least one face other than said reading face.