JP2000353230A - Manufacture of chip card unit and chip card unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the failure of the molding of a chip card by making suitable the flow of resin at a narrow notch part in a chip card unit in which a chip card and a chip holder are integrally molded through connecting pieces, and a notch part for simplifying the bending of the chip card is formed at the connecting piece. SOLUTION: A chip holder is connected through plural connecting pieces with a chip card, and a gate part 17 is formed at each connecting piece so that the chip card can be molded. In this case, a slide core 20 for molding a notch part is formed at a position faced to the gate part 17, and at the time of ejecting melding resin from the gate part 17, the slide core 20 is saved to a direction away from the gate part 17 so that the spatial cross-section of the notch part forming part can be increased, and the flow of resin can be promoted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a chip card unit including a chip card represented by a smart card, and a chip card unit. The chip card unit includes a chip card and an I
The chip holder having the size of the C card is integrally injection-molded, and the chip card is used separately from the chip holder when necessary.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-329206 discloses a prior art of this type of chip card. In order to prevent a chip card having a smaller external size from being lost as compared with an IC card, and to make handling easier, an IC card is used. A card-sized holder is provided, and a chip card is removably fitted into a holding portion formed on a plate surface thereof and can be mounted.

[0003] There is a chip card unit in which a chip holder and a chip card corresponding to the holder are provided integrally in advance for convenience of distribution, and the chip card is separated from the chip holder when used.
In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, a chip card 32 is arranged via a separation groove 33 in an outline of a chip holder 31 having a large area of an IC card. The chip holder 31 and the chip card 32 are integrated via a plurality of connecting pieces 34, and a notch 35 formed in the connecting piece 34
The chip card 32 into the chip holder 31
Can be separated from

[0004] Conventional chip card units are roughly classified into those formed by press working and those formed by injection molding. In the former case, the chip holder 31 is punched out by a press machine, and further, the separation groove 33 is formed by cutting after forming a notch 35 at a place where the connecting piece 34 is formed. In the latter case, the chip holder 31 and the chip card 32 are integrally formed by providing a side gate on the periphery of the chip holder 31 or a pinpoint gate on the plate surface of the chip holder 31.

[0005]

In a method of forming a chip card unit mainly by press working, a chip holder 3 is formed.
Extra work is required to remove burrs generated on the periphery of the first and cutting powder generated when the separation groove 33 is formed. Also,
A special press die is required for punching and dent processing,
Since the total number of processing steps is large and the time required for the cutting processing is significantly longer than other processing, the manufacturing cost of the chip card unit is increased as a whole, and there is a limit to cost reduction.

On the other hand, when the chip card unit is formed by the injection molding method, the chip card unit can be manufactured more efficiently than in the case of employing the press working method, but the defective rate is abnormally high, and the cost is reduced even in this case. Is not easy to achieve. Notable molding defects include the tip holder 3 due to the small cross-sectional area of the notch 35 of the connecting piece 34.
1 is overfilled and the chip card 32 side is underfilled. As a result, burrs are likely to occur on the chip holder 31 side, and shape failure and insufficient strength due to short shots have occurred on the chip card 32 side. In addition, in the molding by the side gate method, extra work is required to remove burrs generated in the gate portion, and in the case of the pinpoint gate, since the gate mark is conspicuous, the appearance of the chip card unit is impaired, and each problem is caused. was there.

In the injection molding method, the insufficient filling can be eliminated to some extent by improving the fluidity of the resin material or increasing the injection pressure, but burrs are easily generated on the chip holder 31 side, and the injection pressure is reduced. It is inevitable that the degree of wear of the molding die increases due to the increase, and this is not a fundamental measure.

An object of the present invention is to provide a chip card unit in which a chip card and a chip holder are connected via a narrow notch so as to be surely injection-molded without causing molding defects. To significantly reduce the cost required for The purpose of this invention is
Molten resin can be reliably injected and filled into both the chip card and the chip holder with no excess or shortage, so that the rejection rate when molding the chip card unit is significantly reduced, and the chip card unit can be formed at a low cost accordingly. It is to make.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to prevent the gate trace from projecting from the plate surface of the chip card unit, so that the trouble required for removing the gate trace can be eliminated, and the appearance of the gate trace being impaired is also eliminated. It is in. An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a chip card unit by injection molding, which is suitable for forming a chip card unit having a notch portion having an extremely small cross-sectional area.

[0010]

According to the present invention, a chip card 2 surrounded by a separation groove 3 is provided on a plate surface of a chip holder 1, and the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are separated from each other by a separation groove 3.
And a chip card unit in which a notch portion 5 for facilitating the separation of the chip card 2 is formed on the connecting piece 4 integrally. Then, in the method of the present invention, the first molding space 14 for forming the connecting piece 4 and the second molding space 1 for forming the chip card 2
5 and a third molding space 16 for forming the chip holder 1, the molten resin is injected from the gate 17 facing the first molding space 14, and the second, third Characterized in that the molding spaces 15 and 16 are filled with a molten resin.

At this time, the second and third molding spaces 15.1
6 through a plurality of first molding spaces 14, and at least two first molding spaces 1 distant from each other.
4 is provided with a gate portion 17 and molded. A slide core 20 that moves toward and away from the gate portion 17 is provided at a position facing the gate portion 17, and the molten resin is moved in a state where the slide core 20 is retracted to increase the volume of the first molding space 14. The first molding space 14 is filled. Next, after the molten resin has spread in the second and third molding spaces 15 and 16 and before the molten resin is solidified, the slide core 20 is advanced toward the gate portion 17 and the connecting piece 4 is moved to a predetermined position. Form into shape. Further, the gate projection 1 protruding into the first molding space 14.
8, an opening 19 of the gate portion 17 is opened in the gate projection 18, and the molten resin is injected from the opening 19.

A chip card unit according to the present invention has a chip card 2 surrounded by a separation groove 3 on a plate surface of a chip holder 1.
Are provided, and the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are integrated via a connecting piece 4 spanning the separation groove 3.
The connecting piece 4 is provided with a notch 5 for facilitating the separation of the chip card 2. A gate 17 is provided on one surface of the connecting piece 4, and the connecting piece 4, the chip card 2, and the chip holder 1 are integrally formed by injection molding.

The chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are connected via a plurality of connecting pieces 4 to prevent a gate mark 23 from protruding out of the plate surface surrounding the gate portion 17. A recess 24 is formed.

[0014]

The gate portion 17 is provided in the first molding space 14 adjacent to the second molding space 15, and the molten resin is directly filled from the first molding space 14 to the second molding space 15. Compared to the conventional molding method in which the second molding space 15 is filled with the molten resin from the third molding space 16 via the first molding space 14, the second molding space 15 can be more reliably filled with the resin. It is possible to prevent the molding space 14 from being overfilled, to reduce the defective rate during injection molding, and to reduce the manufacturing cost of the chip card unit.

If a gate portion 17 is provided in a plurality of, and at least two, first molding spaces 14 that are far apart, resin flow from the first molding space 14 to the second molding space 15 is further increased. By accelerating, the insufficient filling of the molten resin in the second molding space 15 can be more reliably eliminated.

When the slide core 20 facing the gate portion 17 is provided in the first molding space 14 and the volume of the first molding space 14 is increased by retreating the slide core 20 at the time of filling with resin, the first molding space 14 is moved to the second molding space 14. The resin flow to the molding space 15 can be smoothed. In particular, by retreating the slide core 20, the passage cross-sectional area at the notch portion forming portion is required and sufficiently enlarged, so that the molten resin is securely filled into the second molding space 15 without any trouble, and short shots and the like can be performed. Molding defects can be eliminated. The injection pressure of the molten resin can be reduced by an amount corresponding to an increase in the cross-sectional area of the passage at the location where the notch is formed, whereby the life of the molding die is extended, and the chip card unit can be manufactured at low cost as a whole.

At the same time as the gate portion 17 is closed, or thereafter, the slide core 20 is advanced into the first molding space 14 to form the notch portion 5 and the connecting piece 4. By making the thickness dimension and the resin density constant, it is possible to eliminate variations in the strength of both parts.
Therefore, when the chip card unit is handled, it is possible to reliably prevent the notch portion 5 from being cut by mistake, and to use the chip card 2 appropriately along the notch portion 5 during use.

According to the molding method in which the injection port 19 is provided in the gate projection 18 and the molten resin is injected from the injection port 19 into the first molding space 14, the gate mark 23 can be accommodated in the recess 24 formed by the gate projection 18. Therefore, it is not necessary to remove the gate trace 23, and it is possible to prevent the gate trace 23 from protruding out of the plate surface of the connecting piece 4 and to prevent the appearance of the chip card unit from being damaged by the gate trace 23. . In particular, when the slide core 20 is used in combination, the first molding space 14 can be enlarged by retreating the slide core 20, so that the protrusion dimension and the diameter dimension of the gate projection 18 can be set as necessary and sufficiently, and the gate projection 18 is provided. This can prevent the molten resin from becoming difficult to flow.

[0019]

1 to 6 show an embodiment of a method of manufacturing a chip card unit according to the present invention. 2 and 3
The chip card unit to be manufactured includes a chip holder 1 formed substantially in the same shape and the same size as the IC card and having a quadrangular shape, and a chip provided near one side of the plate surface and separated by a separation groove 3. And card 2. Tip holder 1
And the chip card 2 are formed to have the same thickness, and are connected via two connecting pieces 4 bridging the separation groove 3. A notch portion 5 for facilitating separation of the chip card 2 is formed in a concave portion at a base of the connection piece 4 with the chip card 2.

In FIG. 3, the chip card 2 is formed to be horizontally long in the left and right direction, and the right corner of the front edge thereof is obliquely cut away. The connecting piece 4 is connected via a notch portion 5 to the rear portion of the right edge adjacent to the cut portion 6 and to the left end of the front edge. At a position slightly deviated to the left from the center position of the chip card 2, a loading section 7 for mounting the IC module M is recessed in a stepped shape. 2, in the IC module M, a CPU and a chip including a rewritable or write-once memory element are fixed on the lower surface of the substrate 9 and an appropriate number of connection terminals 10 are arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 9. I have. The IC module M is fitted into the loading section 7 with the connection terminals 10 exposed on the surface,
By mounting the peripheral edge of the lower surface of the substrate 9 to the loading portion 7, the substrate 9 is integrated with the chip card 2. Note that the IC module M is incorporated in the chip card unit in the final step.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a molding die D for a chip card unit. The molding die D includes a fixed die 12
And a movable mold 13, and a first molding space 14 for forming the connecting piece 4 is provided between the joining surfaces of the two 12.
And a second molding space 15 for forming the chip card 2
And a third molding space 16 for forming the tip holder 1
Are provided. The gate portion 17 is provided at a position facing the first molding space 14 of the fixed mold 12, specifically, at a position facing the left and right center of the connecting piece 4. Gate mark 23 after molding (see Fig. 4)
In order to prevent the outside of the chip card unit from protruding out of the plane of the chip card unit, a gate projection 18 projecting into the first molding space 14 is provided at the tip of the gate portion 17, and the injection port 1 is provided at the center thereof.
9 is open. The gate projection 18 is formed in a ring shape and is fixed to the fixed mold 12.

As described above, the connecting piece 4 and the chip card 2 are connected via the notch 5 which is narrow. For this reason, the space connecting the first molding space 14 and the second molding space 15 has a sharply reduced sectional area at the notch portion, where the flow of the molten resin is hindered. As a result, a short shot is likely to occur in the second molding space 15. This molding defect is eliminated and the second molding space 1 is removed.
In order to evenly fill the fifth and third molding spaces 16 with the molten resin, a slide core 20 is provided at a position facing the injection port 19 of the gate portion 17.

The slide core 20 is formed of a block having a rectangular cross section that matches the shape of the connecting piece 4 in a plan view. As shown in FIG. 1, a projection 21 for forming the notch 5 is provided on one side of the protruding end. is there. The slide core 20 is a movable mold 1
3 and can move toward and away from the gate 17 and define the outer shape of the connecting piece 4 including the notch 5 at the advanced position (the state of FIG. 6B) approaching the gate 17. I do. The slide core 20 is moved from this advanced position in FIG.
When the robot is moved backward as shown in FIG.
Since the volume of the molding space 14 is increased and the sectional area of the notch portion is increased, the resin flow from the first molding space 14 to the second molding space 15 can be smoothed, and short shots can be eliminated.

Next, the procedure for forming the chip card unit will be described with reference to FIG. (1) The movable mold 13 is joined to the fixed mold 12 and clamped.
Is slid backward in a direction away from the gate section 17 (FIG. 6A). (2) The molten resin is injected from the injection port 19 into the first molding space 14. (3) After the first to third molding spaces 14 to 16 are filled with the molten resin, the resin injection is stopped, and the slide core 20 is advanced toward the gate portion 17 and slid, so that the notch portion 5 and the connecting piece are formed. 4 is formed into a predetermined shape (FIG. 6B). (4) The molding die D is cooled in the above state, and the resin filled in each of the molding spaces 14 to 16 is solidified. After a predetermined solidification time has elapsed, the mold is opened, and the chip card unit is released from the molding machine. In the chip card unit thus obtained, as shown in FIG. 4, a recess 24 is formed by the gate projection 18, and the gate mark 23 is accommodated in the recess.

By repeating the above procedure,
Chip card units without burrs and short shots can be formed quickly and in large quantities. The chip card unit can be completed by incorporating the IC module M into the loading section 7 of the chip card unit thus obtained. It should be noted that labels are printed on the upper and lower surfaces of the chip holder 1 on which the use and precautions of the chip card 2 or the method of use are printed. Of course, these indications and producer indications may be printed directly on the upper and lower surfaces of the chip holder 1.

FIGS. 7A to 7D show embodiments in which the arrangement pattern of the connecting pieces 4 is changed. In FIG. 7A, connecting pieces 4 are provided on the front, rear, left and right sides of the chip card 2, and the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are connected by the four connecting pieces 4. In this case, a gate portion 17 is provided corresponding to each connecting piece 4. The other parts are the same as those of the previous embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted. The same applies to the following embodiments.

In FIG. 7B, the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are connected by the connecting piece 4 at three places on the front and rear sides and the right side of the chip card 2. In FIG. 7C, the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are connected at the connection side 4 at two places on the left and right sides of the chip card 2.
In FIG. 7D, two connecting pieces 4 are provided on each of the front and rear sides of the chip card 2, and the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are connected by a total of four connecting pieces 4.

In addition to the above embodiment, the connecting piece 4 may be provided at the cutout 6 or the corner of the chip card 2. IC
Module M depends on the use of chip card 2
A module configuration other than that described in the embodiment may be used. The external shape of the chip holder 1 does not need to be quadrangular. The timing at which the slide core 20 advances and slides is the same as or immediately before the closing operation of the gate section 17.
Immediately after. The slide core 20 may be provided only to increase at least the spatial volume of the notch 5.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part of a molding die.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a chip card unit.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the chip card.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a molding die.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a molding procedure.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the connecting piece.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional chip card unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chip holder 2 Chip card 3 Separation groove 4 Connection piece 5 Notch part 14 First molding space 15 Second molding space 16 Third molding space 17 Gate part 20 Slide core D Mold for molding

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 4F202 AH37 AM32 CA11 CB01 CK06 CK15 CK19 CK42 CK54 5B035 AA04 BA04 BA05 BA09 BB09 CA01

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A chip card 2 surrounded by a separation groove 3 is provided on a plate surface of a chip holder 1, and the chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are integrated via a connecting piece 4 bridging the separation groove 3. A method for manufacturing a chip card unit, which is injection-molded and has a notch portion 5 for facilitating separation of the chip card 2 formed on the connecting piece 4, comprising: a first molding space 14 for forming the connecting piece 4; The molten resin is injected from the gate 17 facing the first molding space 14 using a molding die D having a second molding space 15 for forming the chip holder 1 and a third molding space 16 for forming the chip holder 1. And filling the second and third molding spaces 15 and 16 with a molten resin. 2. The second and third molding spaces 15 and 16 communicate with each other via a plurality of first molding spaces 14, and are connected to at least two first molding spaces 14 that are far apart from each other. 2. The method for manufacturing a chip card unit according to claim 1, wherein the molding is performed by providing a gate portion. 3. A slide core 20 is provided at a position facing the gate 17 so as to move toward and away from the gate 17, and the volume of the first molding space 14 is increased by retreating the slide core 20. After the molten resin is filled into the first molding space 14 and the molten resin spreads in the second and third molding spaces 15 and 16, the slide core 20 is filled with the molten resin until the molten resin is solidified. 3. The method of manufacturing a chip card unit according to claim 1, wherein the connecting piece is formed into a predetermined shape by causing the connecting piece to advance toward the gate portion 17. 4. The chip card according to claim 1, wherein an opening 19 of the gate portion 17 is opened in the gate projection 18 projecting into the first molding space 14, and molten resin is injected from the opening 19. Unit manufacturing method. 5. A chip card 2 surrounded by a separation groove 3 is provided on a plate surface of the chip holder 1. The chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are integrated via a connecting piece 4 straddling the separation groove 3. A notch portion 5 for facilitating separation of the chip card 2 is formed in the connecting piece 4 in a concave shape. A gate portion 17 is provided on one surface of the connecting piece 4 so that the connecting piece 4, the chip card 2 and the chip holder are provided. 1. A chip card unit, wherein 1 and 1 are integrally formed by injection molding. 6. The chip holder 1 and the chip card 2 are:
6. The chip card according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of connecting pieces are connected to each other, and a recess is formed in a plate surface surrounding the gate portion to prevent the gate mark from protruding out of the plate surface. unit.