Tandem Contactless Cards for Scalable Memory Upgrades
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contactless cards face limitations in memory capacity and feature additions due to their fixed design, making it difficult to upgrade them to meet changing requirements without increasing costs or compromising functionality.
Innovation Solution
A communication system utilizing two contactless cards with the same user identification, allowing them to operate in tandem, effectively doubling the memory capacity and feature set by configuring non-overlapping memory addresses and additional APDUs, thus appearing as a single card to the reader.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If contactless cards are equipped with larger memory and additional features, then the contactless card can meet future requirements, but the initial version of the contactless card becomes more expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The contactless card system is divided into multiple independent card components (first contactless card and second contactless card), each with its own memory and features. These segmented cards operate together as a unified system, allowing the memory capacity and feature set to be effectively expanded without increasing the complexity or cost of individual card manufacturing.
2Ease of manufacture
If contactless cards are equipped with smaller memory and fewer features, then the initial version is less expensive, but the contactless card may not meet future requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The contactless card system implements dynamic scalability through the use of multiple cards operating in tandem. The effective memory capacity and feature set can be dynamically adjusted by adding or removing card components, allowing the system to adapt to changing requirements without requiring physical modifications to the cards themselves.
3Adaptability or versatility
If physical memory is added to the contactless card, then the memory capacity increases, but physical modifications are required which are difficult or impossible in the field
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of physically modifying the contactless card to add memory, the system uses a second contactless card that is configured to operate as a logical extension of the first card. This second card acts as a virtual copy or extension, providing additional memory capacity without requiring any physical modifications to the original card, thereby enabling field upgradeability.
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 scalable memory and feature upgrades for existing contactless cards, allowing for increased capacity and functionality without physical modifications, addressing the limitations of fixed memory and feature sets.
Implementation Method 1
the reader transmits an electromagnetic carrier signal to the contactless card
Implementation Method 2
Binary pulses representing the UID and data modify the impedance of the contactless card's antenna, which in turn causes an amplitude shift in the carrier signal
Implementation Method 3
This modulated carrier signal is then peak-detected at the reader and reshaped into a serial data signal
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system including a first transceiver having a user identification; and a second transceiver having the same user identification as the first transceiver, wherein the first and second transceivers operate in tandem.