JP2004343504A - Radio communication apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio communication apparatus which performs data communication by radio and can be used in both a radio network and an IC card and is excellent in portability without being bulky. <P>SOLUTION: A housing 2 of the radio communication equipment 1 incorporates a substrate 3 on which a circuit component is mounted. An interface part 9 that conforms to, for example, a PCMCIA standard is arranged at one end side of the substrate 3. A signal processing circuit part 5 for performing signal conversion processing, etc., of data for communication is arranged at the center of the substrate 3. An extended part 4 projecting from the housing of a PC, etc., when housed in the PC, etc., is provided at the other end side of the substrate 3. A communication part for a radio network is constituted of a control part 10, a baseband MAC part 12, a radio wave part 11 and antennas 6 and 6' for a radio network. A communication part for an IC card is constituted of of the control part 10 and an antenna 7 for an IC card. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a wireless communication device that performs wireless data communication.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, data communication by a wireless LAN (local area network) represented by, for example, the standards of the IEEE 802.11 series has become widespread. In a wireless LAN, a wireless network using radio waves can be constructed to perform data communication between personal computers (hereinafter abbreviated as PC) or between a PC and a peripheral device such as a printer.
[0003]
For example, a wireless LAN card is used to connect a PC to a wireless network. The wireless LAN card performs digital / analog conversion or frequency conversion of data for application to wireless communication. The converted data is transmitted / received to / from an access point or the like constructing a wireless network via an antenna provided on the wireless LAN card.
[0004]
A non-contact type IC card is known as another device for performing wireless data communication. The non-contact type IC card has an integrated circuit, an antenna, and the like embedded in a synthetic resin card so that data can be transmitted and received without contact. Non-contact IC cards have been applied to electronic money cards, railway pass tickets, and the like. Data communication with a non-contact type IC card is performed by a dedicated data reading / writing device or an automatic ticket gate incorporating a data reading / writing device. Note that there is a non-contact type IC card, but also a contact type provided with a contact terminal exposed on the card surface. In a contact IC card, data communication is performed by bringing the contact terminals into contact with a data reading / writing device having the contact terminals.
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-281044 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In recent years, it has become possible to connect a PC with a wireless LAN card to a wireless network from outside using an access point (hot spot) installed in a public place. In order to use a hot spot, it is required to input a personal ID (authentication number) and a password registered in advance. Further, when a hot spot connects to an in-house network via an outside network, the input of a personal ID and a password is required. In such a case, if the user forgets the personal ID or password, the PC cannot be connected to the wireless network. Even if the user remembers the ID and password, it is troublesome and troublesome to input the personal ID and password one by one each time the hot spot is used. Therefore, it is convenient if the personal ID and the password are stored in the IC card and read into the PC when using the hot spot.
[0007]
However, in order to perform data communication between the IC card and the PC, it is necessary to connect a data read / write device to the PC. If the PC is permanently installed indoors, there is no particular inconvenience even if a data read / write device is connected. However, if the PC is used outdoors, the data read / write device must be carried together. However, there is a problem that the device becomes bulky and the portability of the device is reduced.
[0008]
An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication device which can be used for both a wireless network and an IC card, is compact, and has excellent portability.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The above object is attained by a wireless communication device having a wireless network communication unit that performs data communication by connecting to a wireless network, and an IC card communication unit that performs data communication with an IC card.
[0010]
In the wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention, the IC card communication section includes an IC card antenna for performing data communication with the IC card in a non-contact manner.
[0011]
In the wireless communication device of the present invention, the IC card antenna is arranged on a mounting surface side of the wireless network communication unit.
[0012]
In the wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention, the IC card antenna is disposed on a back surface side of a mounting surface of the wireless network communication unit.
[0013]
In the wireless communication device of the present invention, the wireless network communication unit has at least two or more wireless network antennas arranged at a predetermined gap, and the IC card antenna has at least two or more antennas. Is formed on the outer periphery surrounding the wireless network antenna.
[0014]
In the wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention, the IC card communication section has a contact terminal for making data communication with the IC card.
[0015]
In the wireless communication device of the present invention, the contact terminal is arranged on a mounting surface side of the wireless network communication unit.
[0016]
In the wireless communication device of the present invention, the contact terminal is arranged on a back surface side of a mounting surface of the wireless network communication unit.
[0017]
In the wireless communication device of the present invention, the wireless network communication unit has at least two or more wireless network antennas arranged at a predetermined gap, and the contact terminal is arranged at the gap. It is characterized by having.
[0018]
The wireless communication apparatus according to the present invention is characterized in that the wireless communication apparatus further includes a slot for inserting the IC card.
[0019]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
A wireless communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, a schematic configuration of the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1A shows a schematic arrangement state of circuit components of the wireless communication device 1. FIG. 1B shows a schematic circuit configuration of the wireless communication device 1 by functional blocks. As shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B, the wireless communication device 1 has a flat casing 2, and the casing 2 has a rectangular shape on which circuit components such as a control IC are mounted. A substrate 3 having a shape is incorporated. On one end side (the left side in the figure) of the substrate 3 in the longitudinal direction, an interface unit 9 for connecting to an information processing device such as a PC, which complies with, for example, a PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association) standard is arranged. . Further, a signal processing circuit unit 5 for performing signal conversion processing of communication data and the like is disposed substantially at the center of the substrate 3. On the other end side (the right side in the figure) of the substrate 3 in the longitudinal direction, there is provided an extension portion 4 which projects from a housing of the PC or the like when housed in the PC or the like.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 1B, the signal processing circuit unit 5 includes a control unit 10, a radio unit 11, and a baseband MAC (Media Access Control) unit 12. The control unit 10 exchanges communication data transmitted and received with a wireless network or an IC card with an information processing device (not shown) such as a PC via the interface unit 9. Further, the control unit 10 transmits and receives various control signals to and from the baseband MAC unit 12 and transmits and receives data for transmission and reception. The baseband MAC unit 12 converts a digital transmission signal into an analog signal or converts an analog reception signal into a digital signal. The wireless unit 11 is connected to the baseband MAC unit 12. The radio unit 11 performs frequency conversion of transmission / reception signals and the like.
[0021]
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the extension unit 4 includes two communication units for transmitting and receiving data to and from an external wireless communication device such as an access point (not shown) that constructs a wireless network. Wireless network antennas 6, 6 'are arranged at a predetermined gap. The wireless network antennas 6 and 6 'are connected to the wireless unit 11 and function as diversity antennas.
[0022]
A contact terminal 8 for contacting a contact terminal of a contact IC card (not shown) to perform data communication is arranged in a gap between the wireless network antennas 6 and 6 ′ of the extension unit 4. Further, an IC card antenna 7 for wirelessly communicating data with a transmitting / receiving device of a non-contact type IC card (not shown) is provided on the substrate 3 on the outer periphery surrounding the wireless network antennas 6 and 6 ′ of the extension unit 4. And are arranged in a spiral shape. The IC card antenna 7 and the contact terminal 8 are connected to the control unit 10, respectively.
[0023]
In the circuit configuration described above, at least the control unit 10, the baseband MAC unit 12, the wireless unit 11, and the wireless network antennas 6 and 6 'perform wireless network communication for performing data communication with the wireless network. Unit is configured. Further, at least the control unit 10 and the IC card antenna 7 and / or the contact terminal 8 constitute an IC card communication unit for performing data communication with the IC card.
[0024]
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a use state of the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment. 2A shows a state in which data communication is performed with the non-contact type IC card 13, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which data communication is performed with the contact type IC card 17. I have. The housing 2 of the wireless communication device 1 has a metal frame 15 and a synthetic resin frame 16. The signal processing circuit unit 5 and the interface unit 9 are arranged inside the metal frame unit 15. The expansion part 4 is arranged inside the synthetic resin frame part 16. When the wireless communication device 1 is mounted on a card slot (both not shown) of an information processing device such as a PC, the synthetic resin frame portion 16 projects outside the information processing device. Protrudes outside the information processing apparatus so that wireless communication can be performed stably. In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the upper surface side of the metal frame portion 15 and the synthetic resin frame portion 16 in the housing 2 is a mounting surface of the wireless network communication portion, and the IC card antenna 7 is It is arranged on the mounting surface side of the network communication unit. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 2A, the non-contact type IC card 13 is held over the synthetic resin frame 16 to perform data communication.
[0025]
The synthetic resin frame 16 is provided with a slot 14 into which a contact IC card 17 is inserted. When the contact type IC card 17 is inserted into the slot 14, the contact terminals (not shown) of the contact type IC card 17 are electrically connected to the contact terminals 8 of the present embodiment.
[0026]
Next, the operation of the wireless communication device 1 will be described again with reference to FIGS. It is assumed that the wireless communication device 1 is installed in a card slot (both not shown) of an information processing device such as a PC. First, a method of transmitting data from an information processing device to another information processing device (not shown) connected to a wireless network using the wireless communication device 1 will be described. The transmission data created by the information processing device is output to the baseband MAC unit 12 via the interface unit 9 and the control unit 10. The baseband MAC unit 12 adds control information necessary for wireless network communication to the transmission data. Further, the baseband MAC unit 12 performs a modulation process on transmission data based on the wireless LAN standard selected by the information processing device. For example, when transmitting data according to the IEEE 802.11a standard, OFDM modulation processing is performed.
[0027]
The transmission data that has been subjected to the above processing is subjected to digital / analog conversion by the baseband MAC unit 12 and output to the wireless unit 11. The frequency of the transmission data converted to an analog signal is converted to a 5 GHz band by the radio unit 11. The transmission data is transmitted as radio waves in the 5 GHz band from the wireless network antennas 6 and 6 ′ to another wireless communication device. The method of receiving a radio wave transmitted from another wireless communication device is performed in a procedure substantially reverse to the above transmission processing.
[0028]
Next, a method of transmitting data from the information processing device to the non-contact type IC card 13 using the wireless communication device 1 will be described. The transmission data created by the information processing device is output to the control unit 10 via the interface unit 9. The control unit 10 performs signal conversion processing such as modulation and encoding on the transmission data based on the standard of the non-contact type IC card 13 that communicates the transmission data. The transmission data subjected to the signal conversion processing is transmitted to the non-contact type IC card 13 from the IC card antenna 7 as radio waves of 13.56 MHz, for example. As shown in FIG. 2A, data is written to the non-contact type IC card 13 by holding the non-contact type IC card 13 over the synthetic resin frame portion 16. The method of receiving the radio wave transmitted from the non-contact type IC card 13 is performed in a procedure substantially reverse to the above transmission processing.
[0029]
Next, a method of transmitting data from the information processing device to the contact IC card 17 using the wireless communication device 1 will be described. The transmission data created by the information processing device is output to the control unit 10 via the interface unit 9. The control unit 10 rearranges the transmission data based on the standard of the contact type IC card 17 that communicates the transmission data. The rearranged transmission data is transmitted to the contact IC card 17 via the contact terminal 8. As shown in FIG. 2B, the contact IC card 17 is inserted into a slot 14 provided on a side surface of the wireless communication device 1. A contact terminal (not shown) of the contact IC card 17 contacts the contact terminal 8 on the substrate 3 to transmit data. The method of receiving the data for reception transmitted from the contact IC card 17 is performed in a procedure substantially reverse to the above transmission processing.
[0030]
Note that data transmitted from the non-contact type IC card 13 or the contact type IC card 17 can be received by the wireless communication device 1 and transmitted to a wireless network. For example, data (analog signal) transmitted from the non-contact type IC card 13 is received by the IC card antenna 7 and output to the control unit 10. The control unit 10 converts the input analog signal data into digital signal data. The control unit 10 outputs the data converted to the digital signal to the baseband MAC unit 12. The baseband MAC unit 12 and the radio unit 11 perform a predetermined signal conversion process on the digital data. The data subjected to the signal conversion processing is transmitted as radio waves from the wireless network antennas 6, 6 'to another wireless communication device. By the above operation, the data transmitted from the non-contact type IC card 13 can be transmitted to another information processing device connected to the wireless network. Data transmitted from another wireless communication device can be received by the wireless receiving device 1 and transmitted to the non-contact type IC card 13.
[0031]
Thus, with the wireless communication device 1 of the present embodiment, the data of the IC card can be read into the information processing device or transmitted to the wireless network. Since the IC card antenna 7 and the contact terminal 8 can be arranged in the empty area of the substrate 3, the size of the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment is substantially the same shape and size as the conventional wireless communication device. Can be Therefore, the portability and portability of the information processing device to which the wireless communication device 1 is mounted are not impaired.
[0032]
Next, a first modified example of the wireless communication device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the above embodiment, the IC card antenna 7 is formed on the mounting surface side of the wireless network antennas 6, 6 '. On the other hand, the present modification is characterized in that the IC card antenna 7 is formed on the surface of the substrate 3 on the rear surface of the wireless network antennas 6, 6 '.
[0033]
Even in the wireless communication device 1 of this modification, the electrical connection of the control unit 10, the IC card antenna 7, and the like is the same as in the above embodiment. Therefore, the method of communicating data between the wireless communication device 1 and the wireless network and the method of communicating data between the wireless communication device 1 and the contact IC card 17 are the same as those in the above embodiment.
[0034]
Since the IC card antenna 7 is formed on the back side of the substrate 3 in the wireless communication device 1 of the present modification, the wireless communication device 1 is mounted in a card slot (both not shown) of an information processing device such as a PC. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, the non-contact type IC card 13 carries out data communication by holding it from below the synthetic resin frame portion 16. The method of communicating data between the wireless communication device 1 and the non-contact type IC card 13 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment except that the direction in which the non-contact type IC card 13 is held is different, and a description thereof will be omitted.
[0035]
As described above, with the wireless communication device 1 of the present modification, data of the IC card can be read into the information processing device or transmitted to the wireless network. Further, since the substrate 3 has a planar pattern for ground in the inner layer, the radio wave communicated by the wireless network antennas 6 and 6 ′ and the IC card antenna 7 communicate with each other by the shield effect of the ground pattern. Interference with radio waves can be sufficiently reduced. Further, since the IC card antenna 7 and the contact terminal 8 can be arranged in the empty area of the substrate 3, the wireless communication device 1 according to the present embodiment has substantially the same shape and the same dimensions as the conventional wireless communication device. can do. Therefore, the portability and portability of the information processing device to which the wireless communication device 1 is attached are hardly impaired.
[0036]
Next, a second modification of the wireless communication device 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the above embodiment, the contact terminal 8 is formed on the mounting surface side of the wireless network antennas 6, 6 '. On the other hand, the present modification is characterized in that the contact terminals 8 are formed on the surface of the substrate 3 on the back surface of the mounting surface of the wireless network antennas 6 and 6 '. Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the slot 14 into which the contact IC card 17 is inserted is formed below the position corresponding to the substrate 3 on the side surface of the synthetic resin frame portion 16. The remaining structure is basically the same as that of the above embodiment.
[0037]
In the wireless communication device 1 of the present modification, as shown in FIG. 4, the contact type IC card 17 is inserted into a slot 14 formed below the side surface of the synthetic resin frame portion 16, and Is electrically connected to the As a result, data transmission and reception are performed between the wireless communication device 1 and the contact IC card 17.
[0038]
Thus, even if the contact terminals 8 are arranged by utilizing the empty area on the back surface of the substrate 3, it is possible to realize the highly portable wireless communication device 1 having substantially the same shape and dimensions as those of the related art. .
[0039]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible.
In the above embodiment, the IC card antenna 7 is formed on the substrate 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a similar effect can be obtained by forming the IC card antenna 7 on an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) and soldering the FPC to the substrate 3, for example. The FPC may be arranged on the mounting surface side of the wireless network antennas 6, 6 '. Alternatively, the FPC may be arranged on the rear surface side of the mounting surface of the wireless network antennas 6, 6 '. Further, the FPC may be arranged on the side surface of the substrate 3. Since the FPC having a thickness of several tens of μm can be processed into various shapes and dimensions, the external dimensions of the wireless communication device 1 do not increase in any arrangement state. Further, even when the wireless communication device 1 is completely inserted into the information processing device and is mounted, if the FPC is disposed on the side surface of the substrate 3, the IC card antenna 7 is disposed on the side surface of the housing of the information processing device. It becomes possible to do. Therefore, data communication between the wireless communication device 1 and the non-contact IC card 13 is possible by holding the non-contact IC card 13 over the side of the information processing device.
[0040]
In the above embodiment, the IC card antenna 7 and the contact terminal 8 are arranged on the substrate 3, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only the IC card antenna 7 may be arranged on the substrate 3 without disposing the contact terminals 8. In this case, data cannot be read / written from / to the contact type IC card 17, but since the slot 14 does not need to be provided in the wireless communication device 1, the wireless communication device 1 can be downsized.
When the non-contact IC card 13 is not used, the arrangement of the IC card antenna 7 may be omitted and only the contact terminals 8 may be arranged on the substrate 3.
[0041]
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where two wireless network antennas 6 and 6 ′ are provided has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and two or more wireless network antennas may be provided. In this case, if the IC card antenna 7 is arranged on the outer periphery surrounding the two or more wireless network antennas, the same shape and the same size as those of the related art are utilized by using the empty area of the substrate 3 as in the above-described case. Wireless communication device 1 having excellent portability. If the contact terminals 8 are arranged in any of the gaps between the two or more wireless network antennas, the same shape as in the related art can be obtained by using the empty area of the substrate 3 as in the case described above. The wireless communication device 1 having the same dimensions and excellent portability can be realized.
[0042]
Further, in the above embodiment, the control unit 10 is provided on the substrate 3 of the wireless communication device 1, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the control unit 10 may be provided in the information processing device. In this case, the IC card antenna 7 or the contact terminal 8 is connected to the control unit 10 via the interface unit 9. Even with such a configuration, the same effect as in the case described above can be obtained.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize a wireless communication device that can be used for both a wireless network and an IC card, is compact, and has excellent portability.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a wireless communication device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1A illustrates a schematic arrangement state of circuit components of the wireless communication device 1; 2B shows a schematic circuit configuration of the wireless communication device 1 in functional blocks.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a use state of the wireless communication device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
2A shows a state in which data communication is performed with the non-contact type IC card 13, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which data communication is performed with the contact type IC card 17. I have.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a use state of a first modification of the wireless communication device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a use state of a second modified example of the wireless communication device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 wireless communication device 2 housing 3 substrate 4 extension unit 5 signal processing circuit unit 6, 6 ′ wireless network antenna 7 IC card antenna 8 contact terminal 9 interface unit 10 control unit 11 wireless unit 12 baseband MAC unit 13 non Contact IC card 14 Slot 15 Metal frame 16 Synthetic resin frame 17 Contact IC card

Claims (10)

A wireless network communication unit that connects to a wireless network and performs data communication;
A wireless communication device comprising: an IC card communication unit that performs data communication with an IC card. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,
The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the IC card communication unit includes an IC card antenna for performing data communication with the IC card in a non-contact manner. The wireless communication device according to claim 2,
The wireless communication device, wherein the IC card antenna is arranged on a mounting surface side of the wireless network communication unit. The wireless communication device according to claim 2,
The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the IC card antenna is disposed on a back surface side of a mounting surface of the wireless network communication unit. The wireless communication device according to claim 2,
The wireless network communication unit has at least two or more wireless network antennas arranged at a predetermined gap,
The wireless communication device, wherein the IC card antenna is formed on an outer periphery surrounding the at least two or more wireless network antennas. The wireless communication device according to claim 1,
The wireless communication device according to claim 1, wherein the IC card communication unit includes a contact terminal for performing data communication by bringing the IC card into contact with the IC card. The wireless communication device according to claim 6,
The wireless communication device, wherein the contact terminal is arranged on a mounting surface side of the wireless network communication unit. The wireless communication device according to claim 6,
The wireless communication device, wherein the contact terminal is arranged on a back surface side of a mounting surface of the wireless network communication unit. The wireless communication device according to claim 6,
The wireless network communication unit has at least two or more wireless network antennas arranged at a predetermined gap,
The wireless communication device, wherein the contact terminal is arranged in the gap. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 6 to 9,
A wireless communication device further comprising a slot for inserting the IC card.

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