Wake-Triggered Lock Assembly for Low-Power Device Authentication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Aerosol delivery devices, such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), face power consumption issues during authentication processes, leading to potential battery drain when waiting for verification, which can be mitigated by waking the device from a low power or sleep mode and enabling authentication only after a wake event.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a lock assembly in aerosol delivery devices that detects wake events, performs authentication, and transitions from a locked to an unlocked state, allowing power application and recharging only after successful authentication, with options for audio or visual signal detection for control signal communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the device performs authentication while in a low power or sleep state, then power consumption is reduced, but the authentication process cannot be completed due to insufficient processing capability
Solution Approach 1:
The device performs preliminary actions by detecting wake events and transitioning from low power state to active state before authentication is initiated. This ensures the processing circuitry is fully operational and capable of completing the authentication process reliably, while still benefiting from power savings during the idle period.
2Reliability
If the device waits for authentication in an active state, then authentication can be completed reliably, but battery power is drained during the waiting period
Solution Approach 1:
The device employs periodic action by alternating between low power sleep state and active state. It remains in sleep state to conserve power, then transitions to active state periodically to detect wake events and perform authentication when necessary, thereby balancing power consumption with authentication reliability.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the device remains in locked state during authentication, then power is conserved, but the device cannot be activated even after successful authentication
Solution Approach 1:
The device applies dynamics by making the locked state conditional rather than static. The lock assembly dynamically transitions between locked and unlocked states based on authentication outcomes. This allows the device to remain locked (power conserved) during idle authentication attempts, but automatically unlocks (enabling activation) when authentication succeeds.
Data Source
AI summary
An aerosol delivery device may include a rechargeable power source configured to provide power to generate an aerosol, device electronics configured to generate the aerosol responsive to application of the power from the power source, and a lock assembly configured to perform either one or both of preventing recharging the power source and preventing the application of the power from the power source to the device electronics in a locked state, and to enable recharging the power source and the application of power from the power source to the device electronics in an unlocked state. The lock assembly may be configured to detect a wake event while the lock assembly is in the locked state, wake the lock assembly in response to the wake event, perform an authentication process, and, in response to completing the authentication process, transition the lock assembly between the locked state and the unlocked state.