JP2003067681A - Ic card reader and ic card processor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the communication distance with an IC card even while preventing an operation abnormality or the like of the IC card. SOLUTION: An antenna for communication assembled in a card reader main body for performing the communication with the IC card is arranged separately from a communication surface of an outer surface part of the main body to an inner side and the output of the antenna is made sufficiently larger than the conventional one (B). At this time, electromagnetic field strength generated from the antenna for the communication has properties of being highest on a surface of the antenna and being attenuated inversely proportionally to the cube of a distance as separating from there. The output of the antenna for the communication is set so as to make the electromagnetic field strength on the surface of the antenna for the communication exceed (Hrw) an operation guarantee range of the IC card and to make the electromagnetic field strength on the communication surface be in the operation guarantee range, the maximum value (Hmax) of the operation guarantee range in this case, as indicated by A.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC for performing non-contact communication with an IC card arranged near a communication surface based on the generation of an electromagnetic field by a communication antenna incorporated in a main body. The present invention relates to a card reader and an IC card processing device.

[0002]

For example, a system using a non-contact type IC card is considered in an automatic ticket gate at a railway station or an entrance gate of a company. For example, in an automatic ticket gate system, an IC card reader (reader / writer) that generates an electromagnetic field from a communication surface by a communication antenna (antenna coil) is incorporated in an automatic ticket gate, and a user stores data such as a commuter ticket. The IC card is configured to be carried. Then, the user holds the IC card over the communication surface when passing through the ticket gate so that the communication antenna supplies the operating power of the IC card by so-called magnetic coupling.
Communication is performed between the IC card and the communication antenna,
The ticket gate is controlled based on the communication result.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5 as an example of a conventional IC card reader 1, a communication antenna (antenna coil) 3 is shown on the upper surface of the main body (housing) 2 of the IC card reader 1 in this case. It is arranged in a state of being mounted on a non-substrate, so that the upper surface of the main body 2 serves as a communication surface. A circuit unit 4 including a transmitter, a receiver, a controller and the like is also provided in the main body 2. As a result, an electromagnetic field E is generated by the communication antenna 3 above the communication surface, and the IC card 5 is placed in this electromagnetic field E, thereby communicating with the IC card reader 1. Is done.

By the way, as shown in FIG. 6, the intensity of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna 3 is highest on the surface (communication surface) of the communication antenna 3 and attenuates as the distance from the surface increases. On the other hand, the electromagnetic field strength at which the IC card 5 operates properly is within a certain range (operation guarantee range).
However, if the electromagnetic field strength exceeds the guaranteed operating range, I
The C card 5 may not operate normally, or may be destroyed in the worst case, and communication cannot be performed if the electromagnetic field strength is below the operation guarantee range.

On the other hand, in the system using the non-contact type IC card 5 of this type, there is a demand for increasing the communication distance (enabling communication with the IC card 5 at a position farther from the communication surface). . However, when the output of the communication antenna 3 is simply increased in order to increase the communication distance, the electromagnetic field strength on the surface (communication surface) of the communication antenna 3 becomes too large and the above-mentioned IC card 5 Since it causes a malfunction such as an operation abnormality, the output of the communication antenna 3 has to be suppressed to a relatively small value in the end.
It was not possible to meet the above request.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent an abnormal operation of an IC card due to an excessively high intensity of an electromagnetic field, and the like.
(EN) An IC card reader and an IC card processing device capable of increasing a communication distance with an IC card by a communication antenna.

[0007]

The strength of the electromagnetic field generated from the communication antenna is the largest on the surface of the antenna and attenuates as the distance from the antenna increases. The amount of attenuation is inversely proportional to the cube of the distance. Is known to do. The present inventor has achieved the present invention by paying attention to the attenuation characteristic of the electromagnetic field generated by such a communication antenna and utilizing it. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when the horizontal axis represents the distance (the position of the IC card) and the vertical axis represents the electromagnetic field intensity by the communication antenna, as described in the conventional example (see FIG. 6), The electromagnetic field intensity attenuates with a curve as shown in the figure as the distance increases.

Here, the conventional curve shown by B in the figure is translated upward by increasing the output of the communication antenna, and the disposition position of the communication antenna is displaced inward from the communication surface. By doing so, it is possible to make a parallel translation to the left, which results in the curve indicated by A in the figure, and the electromagnetic field strength range in which the IC card operates properly, that is, the operation guarantee range, is set to the attenuation amount of the electromagnetic field strength. The curve can be brought to a more gradual curve, so that the communicable distance can be increased while keeping the electromagnetic field strength on the communication surface within the operation guarantee range.

According to the IC card reader of claim 1 of the present invention, the communication antenna is arranged so as to be spaced inward from the communication surface of the card reader body, and the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna is set. Since the surface of the communication antenna exceeds the operation guarantee range of the IC card and is set within the operation guarantee range of the communication side, the electromagnetic field strength on the communication side is set within the operation guarantee range, and the operation abnormality of the IC card occurs. It is possible to increase the communicable distance with the IC card while preventing the above.

At this time, even if the strength of the electromagnetic field on the communication side is slightly smaller than the maximum value (Hmax) of the operation guarantee range, the communicable distance can be increased, but it is generated by the communication antenna. If the strength of the electromagnetic field is set to the maximum value of the operation guarantee range of the IC card in terms of communication (the invention of claim 2), the communicable distance with the IC card can be maximized. Become effective.

According to another aspect of the IC card processing apparatus of the present invention, the communication antenna is arranged inwardly from the communication surface of the processing apparatus main body, and the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna is set. Is set so as to exceed the operation guarantee range of the IC card on the surface of the communication antenna and to be within the operation guarantee range of the communication side. Therefore, the electromagnetic field strength on the communication side is also set within the operation guarantee range of the IC card. It is possible to increase the communicable distance with the IC card while preventing an abnormal operation or the like.

Also in this case, if the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna is set to the maximum value of the operation guarantee range of the IC card in terms of communication (the invention of claim 4),
It is possible to maximize the communicable distance with the IC card.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to claims 1 and 2) will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of the IC card reader 11 according to this embodiment, and FIG.
The electrical configuration of the C card reader 11 is shown. Incidentally, the IC card reader 11 in this embodiment is the IC card 1
It is configured as a reader / writer capable of writing data as well as reading data of No. 2.

Here, although not shown in detail, as is well known, the IC card 12 is constructed by incorporating an antenna coil, a resonance capacitor, a control IC, etc. in a thin plastic card body. In the control IC, a rectification unit, a communication control unit, a modulation / demodulation unit, a memory unit, etc. are integrated into one chip. Necessary data (for example, data as an employee of a company and data corresponding to a commuter pass when used in an automatic ticket gate system) and the like are stored (written) in the memory section.

As shown in FIG. 2, the IC card 12 has its antenna coil arranged in the electromagnetic field E of the IC card reader 11 (communication antenna).
Power is supplied from the IC card reader 11 and data communication is performed with the IC card reader 11. At this time, as will be described later, the IC card 12 is within the operation guarantee range (the maximum value Hmax shown in FIG.
Hereinafter, it operates properly with the intensity of the electromagnetic field E in the minimum value Hmin or more).

As shown in FIG. 2, the IC card reader 11 includes a communication antenna (antenna coil) 14 and a circuit connected thereto in a main body (housing) 13 having a rectangular box shape in this case. It is configured to include the section 15. As shown in FIG. 3, the circuit section 15 is composed of a control section 16, which performs overall control such as communication control, a transmission section 17, a reception section 18, and the like. The communication antenna 14 is controlled by the circuit unit 15 (control unit 16) and generates an electromagnetic field E for supplying power to the IC card 12 and for communication. At this time, as shown in FIG. 2, the electromagnetic field E acts above the main body 13, so that in this embodiment, the upper surface of the main body 13 serves as the communication surface 19.

In the present embodiment, the communication antenna 14 is mounted in the main body 13 while being mounted on a board (not shown). At this time, as shown in FIG.
The communication antenna 14 is arranged so as to be spaced inward from the communication surface 19 of the main body 13 by a spacer or the like (not shown), and the output of the communication antenna 14 is sufficiently larger than that of the conventional one. .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the strength of the electromagnetic field E generated from the communication antenna 14 is
4 has a characteristic that it is largest on the surface and attenuates in inverse proportion to the cube of the distance as it goes away from it, but here, as shown by the curve A in FIG.
4, the strength of the electromagnetic field E on the surface of No. 4 exceeds the operation guarantee range of the IC card 12 (Hrw), and the communication surface 19 (main body 13
The strength of the electromagnetic field E on the upper surface of the area is within the guaranteed operating range. In particular, in this embodiment, the maximum value (Hmax) of the guaranteed operating range is obtained.
The output is set so that

In the above structure, the communication antenna 14
Since the arrangement position of (1) is inside (downward) of the communication surface 19 and the output of the communication antenna 14 is made larger, the conventional communication antenna 3 is arranged on the communication surface of the main body 2. At the same time, unlike the one in which the electromagnetic field strength on the communication side is set to the maximum value (Hmax) of the operation guarantee range (curve shown by B in FIG. 1), as shown by A in FIG.
The operation guarantee range for performing proper communication with the C card 12 can be brought to a place where the curve of the attenuation amount of the intensity of the electromagnetic field E becomes gentler.

As a result, the communicable distance with the IC card 12 can be made sufficiently larger than in the conventional case. If the IC card 12 is exposed to an electromagnetic field E having a strength exceeding the guaranteed operating range, the IC card 12 may not operate normally or may be destroyed in the worst case. Even on the maximum communication surface 19, the strength of the electromagnetic field E is the maximum value Hmax of the operation guarantee range and does not exceed it. Therefore, even when the IC card 12 is placed in close contact with the communication surface 19. However, there is no risk of operation abnormality or the like.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the IC card 12 can be prevented from operating abnormally due to the intensity of the electromagnetic field E generated by the communication antenna 14 being too large. It is possible to obtain an excellent effect that it is possible to increase the communication distance with. Particularly, in this embodiment, the strength of the electromagnetic field E generated by the communication antenna 14 is set to the maximum value Hmax of the operation guarantee range of the IC card 12 on the communication surface 19, so that the IC
This is the most effective because the distance that can communicate with the card 12 can be maximized.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention (corresponding to claims 3 and 4). In this embodiment, for example, the present invention is applied to an IC card processing device in an automatic ticket gate system of a railway station. Applying the invention. FIG. 4 schematically shows a cross-sectional structure of an IC card processing device 21 according to the present embodiment. The IC card processing device 21 has a rectangular box-shaped main body (housing) 22 in which the first Similar to the embodiment, a card reader unit 25 having a communication antenna (antenna coil) 23 and a circuit unit 24, and a device control unit 2 for controlling the entire device
6 is provided. The device control unit 26
Controls a device to be controlled (not shown) (for example, a gate of an automatic ticket gate) based on a communication result with the IC card 12.

The communication antenna 23 generates an electromagnetic field E upward and communicates with the IC card 12 arranged in the electromagnetic field E. In this case, the processing device main body 22. The communication surface 27 will be provided on the upper surface of the. Also in this embodiment, the position where the communication antenna 23 is disposed is inside (downward) of the communication surface 27, and the output of the communication antenna 23 is the electromagnetic field E on the surface of the communication antenna 23. Strength is IC card 12
Of the communication surface 27 (processing device main body 22
The strength of the electromagnetic field E on the upper surface of the area is within the guaranteed operating range, and in this case, the maximum value (Hmax) of the guaranteed operating range is set.

Even in such a configuration, similarly to the first embodiment, while the strength of the electromagnetic field E on the communication surface 27 is kept within the guaranteed operation range and the abnormal operation of the IC card 12 is prevented, The communicable distance with the IC card 12 can be made large in this case.

In each of the above embodiments, the intensity of the electromagnetic field E is set to the maximum value (Hmax) of the operation guarantee range of the IC card 12 on the communication surfaces 19 and 27, but the maximum value of the operation guarantee range is set. It is possible to achieve the intended purpose even if it is slightly smaller than. Further, in each of the above-described embodiments, a system in which a person carries the IC card 12 for use is given as an example.
For example, a luggage tag attached for identification of luggage, that is, an IC tag for a so-called physical distribution system is also included in the category of the IC card of the present invention.
It becomes possible to read the data of the C tag, which is highly useful.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and for example, the circuit portion 15 in the first embodiment may be provided outside the main body 13, and the communication antenna 14 may be provided. , 23 may be provided with a mechanism for finely adjusting the arrangement position (distance from the communication surface 19, 27). Further, the present invention is not limited to the automatic ticket gate system of a station or the entrance gate system of a company. Can be widely applied, and can be appropriately modified and implemented without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention, showing a state of attenuation of electromagnetic field strength with distance together with a conventional example.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an IC card reader.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of an IC card reader.

FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of an IC card processing apparatus showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a view corresponding to FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

In the drawing, 11 is an IC card reader, 12 is an IC card,
13 is a card reader main body, 14 and 23 are communication antennas, 19 and 27 are communication surfaces, 21 is an IC card processing device,
Reference numeral 22 is a processing apparatus main body, 25 is a card reader unit, and E is an electromagnetic field.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An IC card arranged in the vicinity of the communication surface based on the fact that an electromagnetic field is generated from a communication surface provided on the outer surface of the main body by a communication antenna incorporated in the main body of the card reader. IC for non-contact communication between
A card reader, wherein the communication antenna is arranged inward from a communication surface of the card reader main body, and the strength of an electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna is the surface of the communication antenna. An IC card reader which is set so as to exceed the operation guarantee range of the IC card and to be within the operation guarantee range on the communication side. 2. The IC according to claim 1, wherein the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna is set to be the maximum value of the operation guarantee range of the IC card on the communication side. Card reader. 3. An IC card installed in the vicinity of the communication surface based on the fact that an electromagnetic field is incorporated into the main body of the processing device and a communication antenna is used to generate an electromagnetic field from the communication surface provided on the outer surface of the main body. An IC card processing device comprising: a card reader unit that performs non-contact communication between devices; and a control unit that controls a control target device based on a communication result of the card reader unit, wherein the communication antenna includes: The device is arranged inwardly from the communication surface of the device body, and the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna exceeds the operation guarantee range of the IC card on the surface of the communication antenna and operates on the communication surface. An IC card processing device characterized by being set so as to be within a guaranteed range. 4. The IC according to claim 3, wherein the strength of the electromagnetic field generated by the communication antenna is set to be the maximum value of the operation guarantee range of the IC card on the communication surface. Card processing device.