JP2005063368A - Card reader device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a card reader device that can ensure appreciable portability and user-friendliness in communication with a noncontact IC card. <P>SOLUTION: The card reader device 10 comprises a body 11 housing a communication unit 17 including an antenna part 16 for communication with a noncontact IC card, an input operation part 12 arranged on the exterior of the body 11 to switch or set various functions including a card information reading function, and a control unit 19 housed in the body 11 and including a storage part 34 for storing information read from the noncontact IC card. The antenna part 16 is opposed to the interior of the body 11 so as to communicate with the noncontact IC card via the body 11. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable card reader device suitable for use in, for example, an attendance management system using a non-contact IC card.

  Conventionally, for example, in a conference or an exhibition, a participant's name is generally registered in advance, and a participant list is checked by checking a participation list at the time of attendance. When prior registration is not required, participants are asked to register their ledgers and papers at the venue. However, both of these attendees' attendance and confirmation of participation are complicated and time-consuming.

  In order to solve such problems, in recent years, attendance management systems using non-contact IC cards have been proposed (see Patent Documents 1 to 4 below). Since information specifying the owner is recorded on the IC card, it is possible to easily check the attendees simply by reading the card information at the time of attendance.

  However, in this case, it is not only necessary to individually install a dedicated card reader in a conference room or the like, but in order to collect and store card information, the card reader must be connected to a computer. Therefore, when a meeting or an event is held at a temporary venue or outdoors, preparation for the construction takes a great deal of cost, and there are many cases that are not practical.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration of a portable card reader device. By using such a portable card reader device, the card reader device can be installed in a venue where a conference or the like is held, and the card reader device can be collected only after the conference ends.

JP-A-9-69125 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-320473 JP 2000-311234 A JP 2002-140668 A

  However, the card reader device described in Patent Document 1 includes a main body, a display unit and a key input unit provided on the front surface of the main body, and an IC card insertion / extraction slot provided on the upper surface of the main body. Therefore, there is a problem that it is necessary to insert an IC card into the slot one by one when reading card information.

  An IC card, in particular a non-contact IC card, has the advantage that it can be communicated by simply holding it over a card reader and can be used even while it is in the card holder. Such convenience of communication of the non-contact IC card cannot be utilized effectively. Therefore, card information cannot be registered quickly, and when there are many participants, it is difficult to smoothly enter the venue.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card reader device that is excellent in portability and can ensure the convenience of communication of a non-contact IC card.

  In solving the above problems, the card reader device of the present invention includes a main body that contains a communication unit including an antenna unit for communication with a non-contact IC card, and a card information reading function that is disposed on the outer surface of the main body. An input operation unit for switching or setting various functions and a control unit including a storage unit that stores information read from a non-contact IC card stored in the main body, and the antenna unit is disposed opposite to the inner surface of the main body. Communicating with a non-contact IC card through the main body.

  In the present invention, the antenna unit is disposed opposite to the inner surface of the main body and communicates with the non-contact IC card via the main body. Therefore, the card information reading operation is performed simply by holding the non-contact IC card over the main body. It becomes possible to make it.

  The arrangement position of the antenna unit is not limited to the inner surface on the front side of the main body, and may be disposed to face the inner surface on the side circumferential surface or the rear surface side of the main body. In addition, if an antenna unit is arranged on the back side of the input operation unit arranged in front of the main body and communication is performed with the non-contact IC card so as to sandwich the input operation unit, the antenna unit and the input operation unit are installed. It becomes possible to share the area and contribute to the downsizing of the apparatus.

  Therefore, according to the card reader device of the present invention, the portability is excellent, and the convenience of communication with the non-contact IC card can be ensured.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, for example, an example in which the card reader device of the present invention is applied to an attendance management system such as a meeting will be described.

  1 and 2 show the entire and internal configuration of the card reader device 10 according to the present embodiment. The card reader device 10 has a main body 11 made of, for example, a synthetic resin. An input operation unit 12 and a display unit 13 are disposed on the front surface 11 </ b> A of the main body 11.

  The input operation unit 12 includes a plurality of touch keys such as a “P1” to “P4” key, a “FUN” key, a numeric keypad “0” to “9”, and an “ENT” key. The function (operation mode) is switched or set.

  Here, the “P1” key is a “READ” mode in which information is read from a non-contact IC card (hereinafter referred to as “IC card”) and recorded in a storage unit 34 described later, and the “P2” key is recorded in the storage unit 34. “SEND” mode for transmitting the recorded data via a serial interface and USB (Universal Serial Bus), “P3” key for “PRINT” mode for outputting the data recorded in the storage unit 34 via the printer interface, The “P4” key is a mode for performing data clear, date correction, time correction, etc. in combination with the “FUN” key, and the “ENT” key is an execution key.

  Further, as the IC card, an IC card manufactured by sandwiching an antenna module having an IC chip connected to an antenna coil between card configuration sheets can be applied, and it can be configured as an employee ID card. Predetermined personal information such as company name, department, name, and employee number is recorded in the memory of the IC card having such a configuration.

  The IC card applied to this example can be applied as long as it has a function of exchanging information with the outside without contact. For example, a hybrid card or a dual interface card having a contact terminal on the surface. A contact / non-contact type IC card such as (combination card) is also included.

  The display unit 13 is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and displays a function (operation mode) input via the input operation unit 12 or a confirmation display such as setting contents.

  On the other hand, a communication unit 17 for communicating with the IC card, a control unit 19 for controlling the operation of the card reader device 10 as a whole, and the like are arranged inside the main body 11.

  The communication unit 17 is configured as a reader / writer that communicates with an IC card, and includes a loop coil-shaped antenna unit 16 that is magnetically coupled to an internal coil of the IC card, a communication circuit board on which a transmission / reception circuit, a signal processing circuit, and the like are formed. 18 etc.

  The antenna unit 16 is disposed in close proximity to the inner surface of the main body 11. In the present embodiment, the antenna unit 16 is disposed on the back surface (back surface) of the input operation unit 12 disposed on the front surface of the main body 11. Each touch key constituting the input operation unit 12 is made of a synthetic resin material having radio wave permeability. On the back side of the touch key, a normally open type switch circuit is configured corresponding to each key position. When the key is pressed, the switch circuit is closed and an operation signal is generated.

  The control unit 19 is mainly composed of a control circuit board 20 on which a control circuit including a CPU for controlling the operation of the card reader device 10, a memory (ROM / RAM) and other electronic components is formed. FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of the configuration of the card reader device 10 as viewed from the CPU of the control unit 19.

  A power supply circuit 35 and a power switch 32 are connected to the CPU 31. The power supply circuit 35 is generated from a dry battery stored in the battery storage unit 22 (FIG. 2) inside the main body 11 or a commercial power supply supplied via an AC adapter connected to the connection connector 15 (FIG. 1) of the main body 11. I try to get power.

  The clock IC 33 is provided for calculating an attendance date (participation date), time, and the like, and is mounted on the control circuit board 20 of the control unit 19.

  The storage unit 34 is composed of, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM), and accumulates information read from the IC card via the communication unit 17. The storage unit 34 is mounted on the control circuit board 20, but may be mounted on the communication circuit board 18.

  The data stored in the storage unit 34 can be supplied to an external computer device and a printer device via the serial interface 14A and the printer interface 14B, respectively. In this case, a connection cable is connected to a connection port (not shown) arranged on the side peripheral surface of the main body 11 for use.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in order to suppress electromagnetic interference between each of the communication circuit board 18 and the control circuit board 20 accommodated in a limited space inside the main body 11, In the embodiment, the communication circuit board 18 is entirely covered with a radio wave absorber 23 (FIG. 2). The control circuit board 20 may be covered with a radio wave absorber.

  As is well known, a radio wave absorber is a material that absorbs the energy of incident radio waves by converting it into heat energy. Soft magnetic properties such as ferrite in non-conductive materials such as rubber and plastic or high electrical resistance It is comprised including the magnetic particle which has. As a form of the radio wave absorber, any of paste form, sheet form, and the like can be applied.

  Next, the operation of the card reader device 10 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  The card reader device 10 is installed at the entrance of a conference room or the like. In this case, the card reader device 10 may be hung on a wall or may be placed on a table. Then, the power switch 32 is turned on to start up the apparatus.

  Next, the operation mode of the card reader device 10 is switched to the reading mode. To switch to the reading mode, the “P1” key of the input operation unit 12 is pressed. At this time, for example, a character “READ” is displayed on the display unit 13 to prompt the user to confirm that the reading mode is set. Thereafter, the date, time, coded meeting name, and the like are registered in the input operation unit 12 as necessary.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the conference participants hold their IC card (employee card) C in front of (or above) the input operation unit 12 of the main body 11. The IC card C faces the antenna unit 16 inside the main body 11 with the input operation unit 12 interposed therebetween. As a result, communication is performed between the IC card C and the antenna unit 16, and card information such as employee number and name stored in the IC card C is read and registered in the storage unit 34 together with the attendance time and the like. Is done. At the same time, the read employee number, name, and the like are displayed on the display unit 13 and the completion of the procedure is notified by transmitting a sound or blinking the lamp.

  As described above, the IC card reading operation for all attendees is performed. According to the present embodiment, since the card information can be registered simply by holding the IC card C over the input operation unit 12, the registration procedure can be speeded up and the entrance to the conference room can be facilitated. be able to.

  In addition, since the antenna unit 16 is arranged on the back side of the input operation unit 12, the occupation area of the input operation unit 12 and the occupation area of the antenna unit 16 can be shared, and the main body 11 can be downsized. , Can improve portability.

  Further, since the input operation unit 12 is not operated during communication with the IC card C, the handling of the apparatus is not impaired. Furthermore, since the switch circuit configured for each key is open when the input operation unit 12 is not operated, the input operation unit 12 does not malfunction due to card communication radio waves.

  Further, since the communication circuit board 18 and the control circuit board 20 are electromagnetically shielded by the radio wave absorber 23, electromagnetic noise from the communication circuit board 18 generated during the card reading operation is controlled by the control circuit. An adverse effect on the substrate 20 can be avoided as much as possible. Thereby, the mutual interference between the communication unit 17 and the control unit 19 can be suppressed while ensuring the miniaturization of the main body 11.

  After the meeting, the card reader device 10 is collected. Then, a connection cable is connected to the connection port of the card reader device 10, and attendee data stored in the storage unit 34 is transferred to an external management computer. At this time, the “P2” key of the input operation unit 12 is pressed to switch from the read mode to the transfer mode. In addition, a character “SEND” is displayed on the display unit 13. This transfer mode facilitates long-term storage, editing, and processing of the read data, and can reduce the memory capacity of the storage unit 34.

  On the other hand, when the attendee data stored in the storage unit 34 is output to an external printer, the “P3” key of the input operation unit 12 is pressed to switch to the print mode and to the connection port of the reader device 10. Connect the connection cable. At this time, the character “PRINT” is displayed on the display 13.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the antenna unit 16 is disposed to face the inner surface of the main body 11 and communicates with the IC card C via the main body 11. The card information reading operation can be performed simply by holding the card 11.

  In addition, since the storage unit 34 for storing card information is provided, it is possible to acquire card information without selecting a place and connecting to a management computer. As a type terminal, it can be easily introduced in places, stores and the like that do not have a personal computer. Further, since the card information stored in the storage unit 34 is provided with a function of transferring to the external computer or printer, a highly scalable card reader device can be provided.

  The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the example in which the antenna unit 16 of the communication unit 17 is disposed on the back side of the input operation unit 12 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the antenna unit 16 is disposed on any of the outer surfaces of the main body 11. May be. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the antenna unit 16 is arranged and configured in a region between the input operation unit 12 and the display unit 13 in front of the main body 11.

  Further, a function of writing attendance date, time information, etc. from the card reader device 10 to the IC card C at the time of registration may be added to the card reader device 10. Thereby, since the history management information is recorded on the IC card C, the card holder can easily confirm his / her attendance (participation) history and the like.

  In addition, if the card reader device of the present invention is introduced to each store in a shopping street, for example, a point is issued for each store sales, and this is recorded on an IC card. It can be used in stores, and output of results to a printer, etc., and a highly versatile system construction can be realized.

  Furthermore, if the card reader device of the present invention is introduced into a school classroom, attendance management of classes can be facilitated, and the effect of preventing unauthorized attendance can be obtained.

1 is a perspective view showing an overall configuration of a card reader device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the internal structure of the card reader apparatus 10 by embodiment of this invention. 3 is an internal block diagram of the card reader device 10. FIG. It is a figure explaining one effect | action of the card reader apparatus 10, and has shown a mode that it communicates with the non-contact IC card C via the main body 11. FIG. It is a figure which shows the modification of a structure of a card reader apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Card reader apparatus, 11 ... Main body, 12 ... Input operation part, 13 ... Display part, 14A ... Serial interface, 14B ... Printer interface, 16 ... Antenna part, 17 ... Communication unit, 18 ... Circuit board for communication, 19 ... Control unit, 20 ... control circuit board, 23 ... radio wave absorber, 34 ... storage unit, C ... IC card.

Claims (4)

A main body containing a communication unit including an antenna unit for communication with a non-contact IC card;
An input operation unit for switching or setting various functions including a card information reading function disposed on the outer surface of the main body;
A card reader device comprising a control unit including a storage unit for storing information read from a non-contact IC card contained in the main body,
The card reader device, wherein the antenna unit is disposed opposite to an inner surface of the main body and communicates with a non-contact IC card via the main body. The card reader device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit is arranged on a back side of the input operation unit. The control unit has a function of reading information from a non-contact IC card, a function of transferring information recorded in the storage unit to an external computer, and a function of outputting information recorded in the storage unit to an external printer. The card reader device according to claim 1, comprising at least. The card reader device according to claim 1, wherein the communication unit circuit board and the control unit circuit board are electromagnetically shielded.

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