TWI856315B - Smart footwear device with contactless payment function - Google Patents

Abstract

A smart footwear device with contactless payment function includes: a wearable body to be worn on a user foot so as to be moved along with the user foot; a antenna disposed in the wearable body; and a circuit module disposed at a predetermined position of the wearable body and electrically connected to the sense-antenna. The predetermined position of the wearable body is located in a region sustaining relatively lower pressure during a walking status of the user foot.

Description

Smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function

This case is a smart foot-worn device with contactless payment function, especially a smart foot-worn device with contactless payment function used in transportation systems.

Contactless electronic ticketing system integrated circuit cards, such as the common Taipei EasyCard, Hong Kong Octopus Card, Singapore EZ-Link Card, etc., have been used by most people for small-amount payments in transportation and convenience stores. In order to protect the balance of the EasyCard, a service for people to register their names can also be provided. However, with the diversification of the scenarios in which it can be used, the physical objects of the size of a card need to be held in hand and are not easy to store, resulting in temporary loss or even loss.

In order to improve the above-mentioned deficiencies in the known means and to facilitate the needs of mobile payment, this case is to develop a smart foot wearable device with a contactless payment function, which includes: a wearable body, which is attached to a user's foot and moves with it; a sensing antenna, which is arranged in the wearable body; and a circuit module, which is arranged in a preset position in the wearable body and electrically connected to the sensing antenna. The preset position is located in an area in the wearable body where the pressure is lower than a low pressure threshold value or is located in a pressure value range when the user's foot walks.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the wearable body is a shoe insole, the sensing antenna is arranged in the edge of the shoe insole, and the circuit module is a chip, which is arranged in the preset position in the shoe insole and electrically connected to the sensing antenna, and the preset position is located at the foot pressure of the shoe insole is lower than the low pressure threshold value or is located in the pressure value range.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the chip is a contactless integrated circuit chip using RFID or NFC technology.

Another aspect of the present invention is a smart foot wearable device with a contactless payment function, which includes: a wearable body, which is attached to a user's foot and moves with it; a sensing antenna, which is arranged in the wearable body, and the multi-turn conductive textile wire constituting the sensing antenna is wound along the outer edge of the wearable body, or along the outer edge of a closed area in the wearable body that is subjected to foot pressure lower than a low-voltage threshold; and a circuit module, which is arranged at a preset position in the wearable body and electrically connected to the sensing antenna, and the circuit module interacts with an external card reader through the sensing antenna.

According to the above concept, the method for measuring the foot pressure in the wearable body of the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case includes the following steps: removing a shoe insole worn by the user for a period of time; capturing the pressure mark on the surface of the shoe insole through an image processing step to represent the dynamic foot pressure accumulation value of the user, and generating a shoe insole pressure mark grayscale map; and obtaining a foot pressure data distribution map by subtracting a background value from the grayscale value of each pixel on the shoe insole in the shoe insole pressure mark grayscale map.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the circuit module is affixed to the wearable body in the form of a patch, and the wearable body is a shoe, sock, insole or auxiliary tool, and the shape of the patch is designed to match the closed area.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the card reader is a carpet-type easy card reader, comprises: a carpet body, laid on the step of the bus boarding area or on the ground at the entrance of the subway gate; and an induction antenna winding set, which is made of conductive textile wire sewn along the outer edge of the carpet body in multiple turns.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the card reader is a carpet-type easy card reader, comprises: a carpet body, laid on the step of a bus boarding area or on the ground at the entrance of a subway gate; and a first conductive textile thread and a second conductive textile thread, sewn along the outer edge of the carpet body in multiple turns to form a left inductive antenna winding set and a right inductive antenna winding set.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the card reader is a carpet-type easy card reader, is installed in front of an interactive information service station (KIOSK), in a taxi or other shared vehicles, and can be used to borrow and return shared bicycles or shared electric scooters, or to conveniently charge fares for taxis or other shared vehicles.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card completed by the circuit module has a registration function, and the card reader can automatically perform a corresponding procedure according to the registered identity of the holder.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card completed by the circuit module does not have a registration function, but can obtain the movement footprint and consumption behavior data of the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card through multiple card readers scattered everywhere, and a judgment can be made based on the movement footprint and consumption behavior data to manage the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card.

According to the above concept, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function described in this case, wherein the card reader, based on the illegal points of the vehicle rented by the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card during a period of time, exceeds a first threshold value, will first issue a warning or temporarily restrict some functions of the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card when the subsequent rental behavior occurs; the card reader, based on the good points of the vehicle rented by the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card during a period of time, exceeds a second threshold value, will provide a service fee discount when the subsequent rental behavior occurs.

In order to have a clearer understanding of the above concept of the present invention, several embodiments are listed below and described in detail with corresponding drawings.

10: Main body of the insole

11: Sensing antenna

12: Chip

120: Conductor wire

31: First card body

32: Second card body

330: Gap

331:Connection part

311: Inductive antenna coil

320: Chip

312: Conductor

34: Electrical contact electrode structure

40: Carpet body

41: Conductive textile yarn

411: The first conductive textile yarn

412: Second conductive textile thread

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the insole structure with the function of an integrated circuit card for a contactless electronic ticketing system developed in this case.

Figures 2A, 2B and 2C are respectively a statistical diagram of the walking foot pressure distribution obtained from the test in this case, a diagram of the appearance of the insole removed after the user has worn it for a period of time, and a grayscale diagram of the insole pressure mark.

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the architecture design of a contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card developed in this case.

Figure 4A and Figure 4B are schematic diagrams of two designs proposed in this case at the card reader end.

To solve the above problems, the inventor of the present invention has developed a schematic diagram of an insole structure as shown in FIG1 . The insole structure will have the function of a contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card, and the insole structure mainly includes an insole body 10, a sensing antenna 11, and a chip 12. In order to increase the sensing distance between the insole and the card reader, the present invention designs a conductive textile line with multiple turns of windings sewn along the outer edge of the large-area insole body 10 to expand into the sensing antenna 11, and then electrically connected to the chip 12 through the wire 120. If there is no metal obstruction, the sensing distance between the insole of the present invention and the card reader can exceed 10 cm. The chip 12 can use a circuit module of RFID or NFC technology to complete a contactless integrated circuit chip. Of course, in addition to conductive textiles, the circuit wires used on general circuit boards can also be used to complete the above-mentioned sensing antenna 11. In addition to the above-mentioned insole structure, this case can also transfer this concept to various types of wearable bodies such as shoes, insoles, socks or assistive devices.

In addition, in order to reduce the possibility of deformation of the wire 120 and the chip 12 due to the pressure, the position of the chip 12 can be selected at a preset position. The preset position can be located in an area of the wearable body where the foot pressure is relatively low when the user walks (for example, defined as lower than a low pressure threshold or located in a pressure value range, and the low pressure threshold can be defined as the average value of the pressure value measured on the entire foot or defined as one-fourth of the maximum pressure value, and the pressure value range can be between 1/2 and 1/4 of the average pressure value). The best point can be the lowest point of the foot pressure, of course, it can also be other thresholds, such as 25% of the maximum pressure value, which can be adjusted according to the situation, so as to reduce the foreign body sensation when the user walks. As for the sensing antenna 11, in addition to being completed by sewing a plurality of turns of conductive textile along the outer edge of the large-area insole body 10, it can also be sewn along the outer edge of a closed area that bears relatively low foot pressure (for example, the foot pressure is lower than a low pressure threshold value, the low pressure threshold value can be, for example, 25% of the maximum pressure value, and the closed area is an area less than the low pressure threshold value), thereby expanding into another winding form of the sensing antenna 11, thereby increasing the design flexibility during the manufacture of the product.

The method of selecting the lowest point of foot pressure is to select a position where the foot pressure is 0 or close to 0 in the walking foot pressure distribution statistical diagram shown in Figure 2A, which is the white area in the figure. For example, the position in the figure is below the arch of the foot, which is the position where the foot pressure of ordinary people is close to 0. In order to be applicable to the foot pressure distribution of most people, it can also be found through statistics of actual walking foot pressure tests of multiple groups of users. Of course, it is also possible to measure the unique chip installation position for a specific user.

Please refer to FIG. 2B, which is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the insole taken off after the user has worn it for a period of time. It can be clearly seen that the pressure mark on the surface of the insole is the result of the accumulated dynamic foot pressure, so this phenomenon can also be used to obtain the dynamic foot pressure of this user. Therefore, FIG. 2B can be processed by image processing to generate a gray scale image of the insole pressure mark as shown in FIG. 2C, and then the gray scale value of each pixel on the insole in the gray scale image is subtracted from a background value to obtain a data distribution map, and then different colors are assigned according to different gray scale values (for example, 0-255) The data can also be obtained. A dynamic foot pressure distribution map similar to FIG. 2A can also be obtained. Similarly, in order to be applicable to the foot pressure distribution of most people, statistics can be collected through the insoles of multiple groups of users to find out the areas with lower foot pressure. If this technical method is made into an application (APP) on a mobile phone, it can be conveniently used in clinics and sales outlets.

Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the circuit module architecture design of a contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card developed in this case, which includes a first card body 31 and a second card body 32, a gap 330 and a connecting portion 331 are provided between the first card body 31 and the second card body 32, a sensing antenna coil 311 is provided inside the edge of the first card body, and a chip 320 is embedded in the second card body 32, and the chip 320 is electrically connected to the sensing antenna coil 311 through a wire 312. In this way, the first card body 31 can become a contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card.

However, if the size is to be reduced to fit in the insole shown in FIG. 1 of the present invention, the user can break off all the connecting parts 331 to separate the second card body 32 from the first card body 31. At this time, the preset insulating protective film (not shown in this figure) can be torn off to expose the two electrical contact electrode structures 34 underneath. The electrical contact electrode structures 34 are also electrically connected to the wires 312 and are electrically connected to the chip 320. The electrical contact electrode structure 34 can be completed with the wool surface of the conductive Velcro, and with the hook surface of the conductive Velcro on the insole end (not shown in this figure), it can be electrically connected with the wire 120 and the sensing antenna 11 on the insole end, and the sensing antenna 11 on the insole end is used for wireless signal sensing. Of course, the design of the second card body 32, the gap 330 and the connecting part 331 can also be omitted, and the area of the first card body can be simply reduced, so that the card body can be directly placed in a bag of a shoe, insole, insole cover, socks, or auxiliary tool without an antenna to complete the integration. However, the antenna area that can be accommodated in the miniaturized card body is small, resulting in a short sensing distance, which may affect its usable range. The first card body can also be completed with a circuit module in the form of a patch, which can be attached to shoes, socks, insoles, and assistive devices. The shape of the patch can also be designed to match a closed area with low foot pressure to maximize its sensing area.

Please refer to Fig. 4A and Fig. 4B, which are two schematic diagrams of the design of the card reader proposed in this case. Fig. 4A shows a schematic diagram of the antenna design of a carpet-type easy card reader, in which the carpet body 40 can be laid on the pedal of the bus boarding area or on the ground at the entrance of the subway gate. The conductive textile thread 41 is sewn along the outer edge of the carpet in multiple circles to form the inductive antenna winding set required by the card reader (not shown in this figure). Fig. 4B shows another schematic diagram of the antenna design of a carpet-type easy card reader, in which the carpet body 40 can be laid on the pedal of the bus boarding area or on the ground at the entrance of the subway gate. The first conductive textile thread 411 and the second conductive textile thread 412 are sewn multiple times along the outer edge of the carpet to form the left inductive antenna winding assembly and the right inductive antenna winding assembly required for the left and right card readers (not shown in this figure).

With the above design, the contactless payment system completed in this case can be used for charging when getting on and off the bus and entering and exiting the station in public transportation. Standing in front of the interactive information service station (KIOSK), you can also borrow and return shared bicycles or shared electric scooters. Placing the foot pad with the EasyCard reader in a taxi or other shared vehicle can also conveniently collect fares. In addition, if the integrated circuit card with a contactless electronic ticket system completed by the circuit module in this case has a registration function, the above EasyCard reader can automatically perform a corresponding procedure based on the registered identity of the holder. The corresponding procedure can be: when the holder is an elderly person, he or she can automatically enjoy the Elderly Care Card discount. The holder's home address can also be logged into the corresponding backend system, which helps lost elderly people get in taxis or other shared vehicles. The contactless payment system completed in this case can automatically know the elderly's address and send him home. Similarly, if a private vehicle is also equipped with the carpet-type EasyCard reader, the user can also use the insole structure with the registration function to obtain the right to use the vehicle. For example, if the foot pad placed on the driver's seat is designed as shown in Figure 4A or Figure 4B, and the user wearing the insole structure with the contactless electronic ticketing system integrated circuit card function can automatically adjust the driver's specifications such as the front and back of the seat, the tilt angle of the seat back, and the height and front and back of the steering wheel when sitting in the driver's seat, or obtain the right to drive the vehicle, which is the second factor required for personalized in-car settings.

Furthermore, the integrated circuit card (such as EasyCard) with a contactless electronic ticket system completed by the circuit module in this case may not have a registration function to avoid the problem of improper collection of personal information. However, the movement footprint and consumption behavior data of the EasyCard can be obtained through the EasyCard readers scattered throughout the city, and some judgments can be made based on the movement footprint and consumption behavior data to manage the EasyCard. For example, if the illegal points of the vehicle (such as an electric scooter or bicycle, etc.) rented by the EasyCard during a period of time exceed a first threshold value, the card reader will issue a warning or temporarily restrict some functions of the EasyCard (such as renting vehicles in popular locations) when the subsequent rental behavior occurs. The card reader can also provide VIP-exclusive service options, service fee discounts, or priority rental of vehicles in popular locations when the excellent points of the vehicle rented by the EasyCard during a period of time exceed a second threshold value.

In addition, soft materials can be used to make carpet-style EasyCard reader antennas, which can also be used with pressure sensors to support different application scenarios, such as using foot pressure for biometric identification, the second factor required for entering and exiting restricted areas, and the second factor required for large payments. Foot pressure action identification can include: entering and exiting, normal standing, left heavy and right light, right heavy and left light, etc., to define different meanings. As for application scenarios, they can include institutions (medical institutions), communities (silver housing), roads (signal areas, zebra crossings) and other places. The contactless payment system and contactless payment function mentioned above can be an offline payment mechanism that is not supported by a real-time backend system, that is, a contactless electronic ticket system smart card with a balance recorded (such as the EasyCard mentioned above). Of course, it can also be an online payment mechanism that requires real-time backend system support, such as a payment system where the balance is recorded in a backend database.

In summary, although the present invention is disclosed as above by the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Those with common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can make various changes and modifications without departing from the technical spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached hereto.

10: Main body of the insole

11: Sensing antenna

12: Chip

120: Conductor wire

Claims (12)

A smart foot wearable device with a contactless payment function comprises: a wearable body, which is attached to a user's foot and moves with the user and can be removed; a sensing antenna, which is disposed in the wearable body; and a circuit module, which is disposed in a preset position in the wearable body and is electrically connected to the sensing antenna in an active manner through a plurality of electrical contact electrode structures. The preset position is located in an area in the wearable body where the pressure is lower than a low pressure threshold value or is located in a pressure value range when the user's foot walks. As described in claim 1, the smart foot wearable device with a contactless payment function, wherein the wearable body is a shoe insole, the sensing antenna is arranged in the edge of the shoe insole, and the electrical contact electrode structure is completed using a wool surface of a conductive Velcro, and is matched with a hook surface of another conductive Velcro on the shoe insole to complete the electrical connection with a first conductor of the shoe insole and the sensing antenna. The sensing antenna on the insole is used for wireless signal sensing. The circuit module is a chip, which is set at the preset position in the insole. The electrical contact electrode structure is electrically connected to the chip, and the electrical contact electrode structure is electrically connected to the sensing antenna. The preset position is located when the foot pressure of the insole is lower than the low pressure threshold value or is located in the pressure value range. As described in claim 2, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function, wherein the chip is a contactless integrated circuit chip using RFID or NFC technology, and the contactless payment is completed through the inductive antenna to communicate with an external card reader. A smart foot wearable device with a contactless payment function comprises: a wearable body, which is attached to a user's foot and moves with the wearable body; a sensing antenna, which is arranged in the wearable body, and the multi-turn conductive textile wire constituting the sensing antenna is wound along the outer edge of a closed area in the wearable body where the foot pressure is lower than a low-voltage threshold; and a circuit module, which is arranged at a preset position in the wearable body and is electrically connected to the sensing antenna in an active manner through a plurality of electrical contact electrode structures, and the circuit module interacts with an external card reader through the sensing antenna. As described in claim 4, the method for measuring the foot pressure in the wearable body comprises the following steps: removing a shoe insole worn by the user for a period of time; capturing the pressure mark on the surface of the shoe insole through an image processing step to represent the dynamic foot pressure accumulation value of the user, thereby generating a shoe insole pressure mark grayscale map; and obtaining a foot pressure data distribution map by subtracting a background value from the grayscale value of each pixel on the shoe insole in the shoe insole pressure mark grayscale map. As described in claim 4, the circuit module is affixed to the wearable body in the form of a patch, and the wearable body is a shoe, sock, insole or auxiliary tool. The shape of the patch is designed to match the closed area. The electrical contact electrode structure of the circuit module is completed using the wool surface of a conductive Velcro, and is matched with the hook surface of another conductive Velcro on the wearable body to complete the electrical connection with a first wire of the wearable body and the sensing antenna, and the sensing antenna on the wearable body is used to perform wireless signal sensing. The smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function as described in claim 4, wherein the card reader is a carpet-type easy card reader, which comprises: a carpet body, laid on the step of a bus boarding area or on the ground at the entrance of a subway gate; and an induction antenna winding set, which is made of a conductive textile thread sewn along the outer edge of the carpet body in multiple turns. A smart foot wearable device with a contactless payment function as described in claim 4, wherein the card reader is a carpet-type easy card reader, which comprises: a carpet body, laid on the step of a bus boarding area or on the ground at the entrance of a subway gate; and a first conductive textile thread and a second conductive textile thread, sewn in multiple turns along the outer edge of the carpet body to form a left inductive antenna winding set and a right inductive antenna winding set. As described in claim 4, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function, wherein the card reader is a carpet-type easy card reader, which is installed in front of an interactive information service station (KIOSK) or in a taxi or other shared vehicle, and can be used to borrow and return shared bicycles or shared electric scooters, or to conveniently charge fares for taxis or other shared vehicles. As described in claim 4, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function, wherein the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card completed by the circuit module has a registration function, and the card reader can automatically perform a corresponding procedure according to the registered identity of the holder. As described in claim 4, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function, wherein the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card completed by the circuit module does not have a registration function, but the movement footprint and consumption behavior data of the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card can be obtained through multiple card readers scattered everywhere, and a judgment can be made based on the movement footprint and consumption behavior data to manage the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card. As described in claim 11, the smart foot wearable device with contactless payment function, wherein the card reader, based on the illegal points of the vehicle rented by the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card during a period of time, exceeds a first threshold value, then when the subsequent rental behavior occurs, a warning is first issued or some functions of the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card are temporarily restricted; and the card reader, based on the good points of the vehicle rented by the contactless electronic ticket system integrated circuit card during a period of time, exceeds a second threshold value, then when the subsequent rental behavior occurs, a service fee discount is provided.

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