Smart Card Antenna Segmentation for Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing recycling methods for dual-interface smart cards are inefficient due to the integration of antennas with the plastic card body, making it difficult to separate non-plastic components like the chip and antenna from the plastic card body, hindering environment-friendly recycling.
Innovation Solution
The antenna is embedded within the same half side of the integrated-circuit card, close to the microchip, allowing for a reduced area of mixed materials and facilitating the separation of non-plastic and plastic components by positioning the antenna's center within the microchip surface or using a flexible printed circuit antenna, enabling easier removal and recycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the antenna is embedded across the whole card body, then the card can perform contactless communication effectively, but the antenna cannot be separated from the card body for recycling
Solution Approach 1:
The card body is divided into two separate parts: a first part containing the antenna and a second part containing the chip module. This segmentation allows the antenna to be separated from the card body for recycling while maintaining the contactless communication function through the antenna in the first part.
Solution Approach 2:
The antenna is extracted from the traditional full-card embedding and repositioned to be contained within a specific first part of the card body. This extraction enables the antenna to be removed and separated from the plastic card material for recycling purposes.
2Reliability
If the antenna spans across the whole card, then the electromagnetic coupling with the terminal is improved, but the mixed material area increases making separation difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The card body is segmented into a first part containing the antenna and a second part containing the chip module. This reduces the mixed material area to only the first part, making separation and recycling easier while maintaining sufficient electromagnetic coupling through the compact antenna design.
3Strength
If the antenna is melted with the PVC body, then the antenna is firmly fixed in the card, but the card body cannot be easily recycled after chip removal
Solution Approach 1:
The card body is divided into a first part with the antenna and a second part with the chip module. This segmentation allows the antenna to remain firmly fixed within the first part through melting with PVC, while enabling easy separation of the first part from the second part for recycling purposes.
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
This configuration reduces the area of mixed materials on the card, allowing for efficient separation and recycling of non-plastic components, enhancing the environmental sustainability of the recycling process.
Implementation Method 1
The antenna is used to receive power from the terminal to the chip on the card and to wireless transmit data between the chip and the terminal
Implementation Method 2
The antenna is used to receive power from the terminal to the chip on the card and to wireless transmit data between the chip and the terminal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(a)~2(d)
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments of an integrated-circuit card are provided. The integrated-circuit card comprises a plurality of layers, forming a card body, the card body having a first half side and a second half side separated by a transversal axis, an antenna having an antenna body and two end points, the antenna being embedded within the card body, and a microchip embedded within one of the plurality of layers and connected to the antenna through the two end points. The microchip and the antenna are located within the same half side of the integrated-circuit card.