Smart Card Light Guide Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Smart cards with LED modules often provide insufficient illumination and power, making it difficult for users to visually confirm transactions, especially when the payment terminal is not facing them.
Innovation Solution
A smart card device with a laminated core structure that includes a front substrate, flexible sheets with card and inductive circuitry, and a light guide system using LED modules, reflectors, and light diffusing ink to enhance illumination and visibility through perforated designs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If LED modules are added to smart cards for visual feedback, then illumination capability is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the card structure by introducing light guides with specific refractive indices, reflectors with optimized reflectivity, and perforated designs with controlled aperture sizes. These parameter optimizations enable efficient light extraction and distribution, achieving uniform illumination with minimal LED power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces light guides as intermediary components between the LED modules and the card surface. These light guides act as mediators that efficiently transport and distribute light from the compact LED sources across the entire card surface, enabling uniform illumination while maintaining low power consumption
2Loss of information
If LED modules are added to smart cards, then visual feedback is provided, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the illumination function with the card's structural layers by integrating light guides, reflectors, and perforated designs into the existing card laminate. This integration approach combines multiple functions (structural integrity, light guidance, reflection, and visual display) into a unified design, reducing overall complexity despite adding illumination capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs the card structure with multi-functional components where the light guides also serve as structural layers, the perforated designs provide both aesthetic patterns and light extraction pathways, and the reflectors contribute to both illumination efficiency and card backend structure. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components
3Use of energy by moving object
If traditional illumination methods are used in smart cards, then power consumption is reduced, but illumination uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the illumination function across multiple distributed LED modules rather than using a single centralized light source. This segmentation, combined with the light guide network, enables uniform light distribution across the card surface while maintaining efficient power usage through localized illumination zones
Solution Approach 2:
The light guides serve as intermediary components that receive light from compact LED modules and distribute it uniformly across the card surface. These intermediaries transform the point-source light into a distributed uniform illumination field, achieving both low power consumption and high illumination uniformity
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 provides improved visual feedback during transactions by ensuring even and effective illumination of the card's design, enhancing user awareness and transaction confirmation without power inefficiencies.
Implementation Method 1
at least one LED module arranged proximate to the at least one first opening
Implementation Method 2
the first substrate includes at least one light guide which is arranged under the at least one first opening and configured to direct an illumination produced by the at least one LED module through the at least one first opening
Implementation Method 3
at least one reflector arranged at a position which is between the second flexible sheet and the second substrate, and under the at least one LED module, wherein the at least one reflector is configured to direct the illumination to the at least one light guide
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a smart card device comprising: a laminated core comprising: a front substrate (10); a first flexible sheet (20) having a card circuitry formed thereon; a first substrate (30); a second flexible sheet (40) having an inductive circuitry formed thereon, and a second substrate (50) in a top-to-bottom order, wherein the front substrate (10) provides at least one first opening (11) which defines a perforated design and a second opening (12) through which a contact pad (22) is exposed, wherein the card circuitry includes: a flip chip (21), a first antenna coil (24) conductively coupled to the flip chip (21), the contact pad (22), at least one conductor path (23) conductively coupling the contact pad (22) to the flip chip (21), wherein the inductive circuitry includes at least one LED module (46) arranged proximate to the at least one first opening (11) and a second antenna coil (44) conductively coupled to the at least one LED module (46), and wherein the first substrate (30) includes at least one light guide (31) which is arranged under the at least one first opening (11) and configured to direct an illumination produced by the at least one LED module (46) through the at least one first opening (11) to illuminate the perforated design.