Smartcard Enrolment Carrier for Wireless Power Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Challenges exist in providing secure, reliable, and convenient biometric enrolment for devices with limited user interfaces, such as contactless smartcards, due to varying placements of wireless power transfer arrangements within user devices, leading to inconsistent energy harvesting and enrollment failures.
Innovation Solution
An enrolment assistance device with a biometric sensor and wireless power transfer arrangement, comprising a carrier with conductors to wirelessly transfer energy from a user device to a smartcard, and a signal mechanism to alert the user when sufficient energy is harvested, ensuring proper alignment and enabling successful enrolment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a visual marker is displayed on the mobile device screen to guide smartcard positioning, then the user can be guided to correctly position the smartcard, but it becomes cumbersome for the user to position and press the smartcard against the backside of the mobile device while following instructions on the frontside display
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display surface and the wireless power transfer surface into a single surface of the carrier. This allows the user to see guidance instructions and position the smartcard on the same surface, eliminating the need to switch between front and back sides of the device. The merging of functions into one surface resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation while reducing procedural complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the wireless power transfer arrangement is placed inside the user device, then the device structure is compact, but the placement varies by brand and model leading to poor coupling and insufficient energy harvesting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the wireless power transfer arrangement movable relative to the conductor on the carrier surface. The user can adjust the position of the user device on the carrier to achieve optimal coupling between the wireless power transfer arrangement and the conductor. This dynamic positioning capability allows adaptation to different device placements while maintaining reliable energy harvesting, resolving the contradiction between adaptability and reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the carrier surface is used for both display and wireless power transfer, then the user can see instructions and position the smartcard simultaneously, but the display area and power transfer area must share the same physical space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the carrier surface universal by enabling it to serve multiple functions simultaneously: displaying guidance instructions and facilitating wireless power transfer. The display unit and wireless power transfer arrangement both operate on the same surface, allowing the user to access guidance information and position the smartcard for power transfer without requiring separate areas. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by maintaining ease of operation while optimizing the use of limited surface area.
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
Facilitates user-friendly biometric enrolment by ensuring adequate energy transfer for smartcards, allowing successful fingerprint enrolment even with varying user device placements, through visual and auditory alerts.
Implementation Method 1
a conductor configured to wirelessly harvest energy from the wireless power transfer arrangement of the user device
Implementation Method 2
a conductor arranged to be connected to the conductor of the first surface portion via a connector and configured to wirelessly transfer the harvested energy to the wireless power transfer arrangement of the contactless smartcard
Data Source
AI summary
An enrolment assistance device comprises a carrier having a first surface portion for receiving a user device with a wireless power transfer arrangement, and a second surface portion spaced apart from the first surface portion to receive a smartcard. The first surface portion has a conductor configured to wirelessly harvest energy from the wireless power transfer arrangement. The second surface portion has a conductor arranged to be connected to the conductor of the first surface portion via a connector for wirelessly transfer the harvested energy to a wireless power transfer arrangement of the smartcard. The smartcard transmits a signal to the user device when moved into a position that enables the smartcard to harvest an amount of energy exceeding an energy threshold via the conductor of the second surface portion, the signal causing the user device to provide an alert to the user that a desired position has been reached.