Peripheral Transceiver Detection of Passive Wearable Metasurfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wearable devices for activity tracking and health monitoring, such as rings and wristwatches, require electrical components like batteries, sensors, and antennas, increasing cost, size, and complexity, and necessitate frequent charging due to smaller battery sizes.
Innovation Solution
A passive metasurface integrated into wearable devices that interacts with a transceiver embedded in computer peripherals, using millimeter wave to terahertz frequencies for proximity detection and authentication, eliminating the need for internal power sources and enabling seamless, secure user interactions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If existing wearable devices use electrical components (battery, sensors, circuits, controller, antennas), then they can perform activity tracking and health monitoring functions, but the cost, size, and complexity of the device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the active electronic components (battery, sensors, circuits, controller, antennas) from the wearable device and relocates them to the computer peripheral. The wearable device retains only the passive metasurface, which eliminates complexity while maintaining the core functionality of proximity detection and authentication through interaction with the transceiver in the peripheral device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a passive metasurface as an intermediary between the user and the computer peripheral. This metasurface interacts with the transceiver via electromagnetic signals to enable proximity detection and authentication, eliminating the need for complex active electronics in the wearable while preserving functionality through the intermediary interaction mechanism.
2Volume of moving object
If existing wearable devices use smaller battery sizes, then the device size is reduced, but the device needs to be charged frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes the battery from the wearable device by extracting the power source requirement. The passive metasurface requires no electrical power to operate, as it passively interacts with electromagnetic signals from the computer peripheral, thereby eliminating charging needs while maintaining a minimal device size.
Solution Approach 2:
The passive metasurface serves itself by passively reflecting and modulating electromagnetic signals without requiring external power input. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for battery charging while maintaining the device's ability to communicate proximity and authentication information to the computer peripheral.
3Adaptability or versatility
If existing wearable devices include multiple electrical components, then they can perform various functions, but the cost of the device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts all active electronic components from the wearable device and consolidates them in the computer peripheral. The wearable device becomes a simple passive metasurface, dramatically reducing cost while maintaining versatility through the peripheral's processing capabilities and the metasurface's interaction with electromagnetic signals for multiple functions including proximity detection, authentication, and device control.
4Use of energy by moving object
If existing wearable devices use passive metasurfaces, then the need for internal power sources is eliminated, but the device requires interaction with external transceivers
Solution Approach 1:
The passive metasurface operates autonomously by passively interacting with electromagnetic signals from the computer peripheral without requiring internal power sources or complex electronics. This self-service mechanism achieves zero energy consumption while maintaining ease of operation through automatic proximity detection and authentication interactions with the peripheral device.
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
Enables efficient, secure, and intuitive user interactions by detecting proximity and authenticating users without batteries, reducing device size and complexity while enhancing security and privacy.
Implementation Method 1
A passive metasurface integrated into wearable devices that interacts with a transceiver embedded in computer peripherals, using millimeter wave to terahertz frequencies for proximity detection
Data Source
AI summary
The technology described herein is directed towards a computer peripheral device (e.g., keyboard, mouse, USB device or the like) that includes a transceiver for interaction with a wearable device that includes a passive metasurface. The transceiver transmits a wireless radio frequency signal towards the metasurface integrated into the wearable device, whereby the metasurface reflects an altered instance of the incoming signal back to the transceiver. The radiation pattern of the reflected signal can be distinctly altered per metasurface, providing a distinct signature of that particular metasurface that can be detected by the computer peripheral device and/or a computing device coupled to the computer peripheral that is expecting that particular signature. The receipt of an expected, matched signal's signature, can, for example, facilitate proximity detection of the user, authentication of the user and so on, in a seamless way that is efficient and secure.