JP2005204188A - Portable non-contact communications device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact communications device which will not damage the receiving part of a ticket inspection gate or an apparatus itself, even if it is used as a public transport pass. <P>SOLUTION: With regard to the portable non-contact communication device, a contact and non-contact SIN is mounted in a communication device including a portable telephone function or an SIM reader/writer function so as to settle a traffic fare or a transaction with an external apparatus via an antenna coil that is included in the device. A display function surface for displaying transaction data in the SIM is provided on one face of the device, and cushion materials 5a, 5b, 5c are imparted in the partial or over the entire device face opposite to the display function surface, thereby relaxing shocks, when the reception part of the external apparatus is contacted, If the non-contact communication device is a portable telephone set, a folder type may also be used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable device that can be used in the same way as a non-contact IC card for use as a prepaid system payment application, although it is a portable device such as a mobile phone or a SIM reader / writer. The present invention relates to a non-contact communication device considering a structure that does not damage both a gate and a portable device when used.

A “Suica” (trademark) type path is put to practical use in the Tokyo metropolitan area and the like as a gate path for transportation by non-contact communication. On the other hand, mobile phones are already widely used, and most of commuters carry and use them.
In order to eliminate the inconvenience of always carrying both the mobile phone and the commuter pass, it has been considered that the mobile phone has a Suica function, and an experiment of using it instead of a ticket or commuter pass. Is scheduled to start.

  A mobile phone having a Suica function is detachably incorporated with a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) which is a small IC card having a contact and non-contact communication function. In addition to the telephone antenna, it is necessary to have a non-contact communication antenna inside the mobile phone. This is because the SIM usually does not have an antenna coil, or even if it is provided, only a small antenna in the SIM base has insufficient communication capability. In addition, for reliable non-contact communication, it is also preferable to reduce the thickness of the mobile phone and narrow the distance from the receiving unit of the device.

Further, what is problematic is that a box of a conventional mobile phone is usually a molded product such as ABS resin and is a hard plastic. On the other hand, in order to use a non-contact IC card in a ticket gate or the like, a so-called “touch and go” method is used to connect a device such as an IC card to a gate terminal in order to completely read and write data by non-contact communication. It is instructed to touch the antenna part. If it is an IC card, there is no particular problem even if it comes into contact, but with a hard case device such as a mobile phone, the device itself may be damaged or broken, and the terminal may be similarly damaged. There is.
Therefore, it is necessary to take measures to prevent damage to the portable device and the ticket gate reception unit.

By the way, the IC card is ISO14443 standard and its frequency band is 13.56 MHz, and a coil antenna is used to achieve a reduction in thickness. Although there is a technique in which this wallet-sized IC card is used for a mobile phone provided with an IC card slot, there is a problem that the mobile phone becomes larger or the mechanism becomes complicated. Further, this is intended for reading / writing of the IC card itself and not for communication with an external device.
Note that the frequency bands for mobile phones are 800 MHz, 1.56 GHz, and 2 GHz, and the mobile phones themselves are not compatible with the infrastructure of contactless IC cards.

On the other hand, recently, security ID modules called small UIMs, SIMs, and USIM cards have been incorporated in mobile phones. Even in Japan, it has already been put into practical use by being incorporated in the latest mobile phones. A UIM (User Identity Module) is an IC card in which contractor information issued by a mobile phone company is recorded, and is incorporated in a mobile phone and used for identifying a user. This is a functional extension from a SIM having the same function, and it is possible to register private information such as a telephone directory and personal identification information for credit settlement in addition to contractor information. ing. Since it is based on SIM, it is sometimes called USIM (Universal SIM).
The SIM is intended to use the GSM mobile phone service, but the UIM can be used, for example, by inserting it into an American cdma2000 mobile phone and receiving an international roaming service.

This SIM or UIM is a thin plate having a size of 15 mm × 25 mm, and does not cause a problem of increasing the size of the mobile phone. Giving the mobile phone described at the beginning to the Suica function also uses this SIM or UIM.
Thus, since SIM and UIM are small and convenient, the use and various proposals using a portable dedicated adapter and reader / writer have been studied and proposed.
Here, when a transaction system using a portable device and an IC card is investigated, Patent Literature 1, Patent Literature 2, Patent Literature 3, and the like are detected.
Patent Document 1 proposes to use an IC card in an IC card storage tool for a transaction using a portable terminal. However, according to this technique, it is necessary to have both a portable terminal and an IC card card holder, and the operation becomes complicated.

Patent Document 2 proposes “a mobile device having an IC card replacement function”. In this device, a module for a portable device (SIM or UIM) having a non-contact communication function is attached to the portable device, and the module and the antenna coil or antenna coil adapter of the portable device are electromagnetically coupled, or directly It is intended to be contact-coupled and non-contact communication. This is one of the basic forms of the portable non-contact communication device of the present application.

  Patent Document 3 proposes a “SIM reader / writer with a liquid crystal display”. Since this has a USB connector, it can be used by connecting to a personal computer (hereinafter also referred to as “PC”), and a SIM having both contact and non-contact functions is detachably mounted. Therefore, the antenna coil of the reader / writer main body can be used for non-contact transactions and traffic paths. This is also one of the basic forms of the portable non-contact communication device of the present application.

  Regarding the use of a cushion material for a portable non-contact communication device as in the present invention, there is a description somewhat related to Patent Document 4, Patent Document 5, and the like. However, Patent Document 4 is a “case for a mobile phone” which wraps the entire mobile phone in a case made of a foamed material having cushioning properties in order to improve the grip feeling of the mobile phone. Have different purposes and configurations. In Patent Document 5, a cushion member is used for a key portion in order to prevent the main body case from being damaged due to the closing of the operation unit lid of the mobile phone. Therefore, this also has a different purpose and configuration from the present application.

JP 2002-150326 A Japanese Patent Application No. 2002-210473 Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-46657 JP-A-8-18637 JP 11-275191 A

  Therefore, the present invention provides a form of a non-contact communication device that does not damage both the non-contact communication device and the non-contact communication reading unit (reception unit) in the ticket gate of a transportation facility even if they contact or collide with each other. It has been researched and the present invention has been completed.

  One of the gist of the present invention for solving the above problems is that a contact / non-contact SIM is mounted in a communication device having a mobile phone function, and is connected to an external device via an antenna coil included in the device. A non-contact communication device that enables payment processing of traffic fares and transactions, and has a display function surface for displaying transaction data in the SIM on one surface of the device, and a device surface opposite to the display function surface A portable non-contact communication device is characterized in that a cushioning material is applied to a part or the entire surface of the device to reduce an impact when it comes into contact with an external device receiver.

  The second aspect of the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems is that a two-fold type communication device having a mobile phone function is equipped with a contact and non-contact SIM, and an external device is connected via an antenna coil in the device. Is a non-contact communication device that enables payment processing of traffic fares and transactions between, and has a main display function surface that displays transaction data in the SIM on the inner surface side when the device is folded in two, It has an auxiliary display function surface on one outer surface side when folded in two, and a cushioning material is applied to a part or the entire surface of the device opposite to the auxiliary display function surface when folded in two. The portable non-contact communication device is characterized in that the impact upon contact with the external device receiver is reduced.

  The third aspect of the present invention for solving the above problem is that a contact / non-contact SIM is mounted in a communication device having a SIM reader / writer function, and an external device is connected via an antenna coil included in the device. A non-contact communication device that enables payment processing of traffic fares and transactions, and has a display function surface for displaying transaction data in the SIM on one side of the device, and a device opposite to the display function surface A portable non-contact communication device is characterized in that a cushioning material is applied to a part or the entire surface of the surface to reduce an impact when contacting the external device receiving unit.

  In the above, the cushioning material can be a rubber or a polyurethane resin film, and the display function surface can be a liquid crystal display. Further, in the case of the non-contact communication device according to claim 1, the display function surface is made inwardly foldable, and the non-contact communication device according to claim 5 has a USB connector, It is also possible to enable connection with a USB device.

  The portable non-contact communication device of the present invention is provided with a cushioning material on a part or the entire surface of the box or casing that comes into contact with the external device. Can be relaxed. Therefore, even if the non-contact communication device is in contact with the external reader, damage to the non-contact communication device itself or the external device can be prevented.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a portable non-contact communication device, which is a mobile phone type, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of a non-contact communication device, which is a folded mobile phone type FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the non-contact communication device of FIG. 2 is folded in half, and FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the non-contact communication device, which is a SIM reader / writer type. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a side opposite to the display function surface of the non-contact communication device of FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a side opposite to the display function surface of the non-contact communication device of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the shape of a SIM, and FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a situation where a non-contact communication device is used at a ticket gate.

The example of the portable non-contact communication device of the present invention has the shape of a normal mobile phone as shown in FIG. The non-contact communication device 1A can be detachably mounted with a contact and non-contact SIM 2 and the SIM 2 is connected to the antenna coil 11 that the non-contact communication device 1A has in the box 13 with its non-contact communication function unit. Has been.
One side of the box 13 of the non-contact communication device is a display function surface 4 and is preferably a color liquid crystal display surface. On the same plane as the display function surface, a keypad, an operation selection button, and the like are arranged to enable power on / off, display selection, operation determination, character input, and the like. These are the same as the functions of a normal mobile phone.

The antenna coil 11 can be wired around the inside of the box 13 of the non-contact communication device as shown in FIG. 1 or around the mounting portion of the SIM 2. The end of the antenna coil 11 can be used by connecting to the non-contact communication terminals A1 and A2 of the SIM2. The connection with the non-contact communication terminal of the SIM2 may be connected to the C4 and C8 terminals which are the RFU terminals of the contact terminal plate 2t of the SIM2. The antenna coil 11 performs proximity non-contact communication using a band of 13.56 MHz, which is different from normal wireless communication of a mobile phone.
By this non-contact communication, fare settlement and transaction settlement processing are performed. Based on the settlement amount and the settlement amount, the control IC chip in the SIM 2 changes the recorded contents of the memory.

The rod antenna 16 is an antenna used for a radio telephone, and is not used for non-contact communication of the SIM 2 because it is provided in a normal mobile phone.
The outline of the above contents is also described in Patent Document 2 described above.
The non-contact communication device 1A may be configured to be folded in half between the display function unit and the keypad unit with the display function surface 4 as an inner surface. The invention described in claim 2 means such a contactless communication device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing another example of a non-contact communication device, which shows a two-fold type mobile phone. In this example, an antenna coil 11 is provided in a box on the side where a keypad, an operation selection button, and the like of a folded cellular phone are arranged. Similarly, the end of the antenna coil 11 can be connected to the non-contact communication terminals A1 and A2 of the SIM2.
The non-contact communication device 1B can be detachably mounted with a contact and non-contact SIM 2 so that the non-contact communication function unit of the SIM 2 is connected to the antenna coil 11 included in the box 13 of the non-contact communication device 1B. Has been.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a folded state of the two-fold contactless communication device.
In some cases, the two-fold type mobile phone has two display function surfaces. In this case, it is usually folded with the surface on which the keypad, the operation selection button, etc. are arranged as the inner surface, and a large size inside. In many cases, the auxiliary display function surface 4b having a smaller size is provided on the surface which is provided with the main display function surface 4a and becomes the outer surface when folded and opposite to the main display function surface 4a. When the camera lens 6 is provided, the auxiliary display function surface 4b is provided on the side.
Other functions are the same as those of a normal mobile phone, like the non-contact communication device 1A of FIG.

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating another example of a non-contact communication device, in which FIG. 4A is a top perspective view, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4 (C) is a perspective view of a state where the SIM 2 is mounted.
Another example of the portable non-contact communication device 1 of the present invention has a shape of a portable SIM reader / writer as shown in FIG. 4 (A), and a contact / non-contact SIM 2 can be mounted.
The non-contact communication device 1C includes a liquid crystal display 4 and can display traffic charges and the like. The button 10 is used for power on / off, display selection, and operation determination. You may provide the LED display 14 which shows the ON state of a power supply.
Further, the non-contact communication device 1 </ b> C preferably includes the USB connector 20. As a result, connection to a personal computer (PC) or USB device is possible, and when connected to a PC, personal authentication can be performed with the SIM 2 for use in information security.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the non-contact communication device 1C is composed of an upper lid portion 18 and a lower case portion 19 in many cases, and the SIM 2 is inserted through the insertion port 15 at the joint portion. Yes. If the step portion 16 is provided close to the insertion port 15, it is convenient for insertion of the SIM2.
There is a terminal plate 12 inside the casing, and the SIM 2 stops at its lower side so that the contact terminal plate 2t contacts a contact pin (not shown) of the terminal plate 12.

As shown in FIG. 4C, the casing of the non-contact communication device 1C has an antenna coil 11 made of a wire or the like, and both ends thereof are connected to the C4 and C8 terminals. . The SIM 2 is configured such that its non-contact communication function unit is connected to the antenna coil 11 provided in the casing via the contact pin of the terminal plate 12. Also in this case, it is possible to connect to the C4 and C8 terminals, which are the RFU terminals of the contact terminal plate 2t of the SIM2, thereby performing non-contact communication with an external device.
This non-contact communication uses 13.56 MHz which is a communication band of the IC card, performs fare settlement and transaction settlement processing, and the control IC chip in the SIM 2 is also based on the settlement amount and the settlement amount. Change the recorded contents of the memory.
The outline of the above contents is also described in Patent Document 3 described above.

The feature of the non-contact communication device of the present invention is that the cushioning material 5 is provided on the surface opposite to the display function surface of the non-contact communication device 1 as shown in FIG. 5, FIG. 6, or FIG. There is in being. The cushioning material is applied to the surface opposite to the display function surface. This is because, when a non-contact communication device is held over a ticket gate or the like, it is normal to make contact with the reader side so that the display surface can be seen.
The cushioning material is preferably applied to the entire surface opposite to the display function surface, but may be partially provided as shown in FIGS. However, in the case where it is not folded in two but partially provided, it is preferable to provide at least two cushioning materials 5a, 5b close to the edge at both upper and lower ends. This is because when the non-contact communication device is brought into contact with the reader side, either the upper end or the lower end comes into contact first, and a strong impact force is applied or received.

  In the case of a mobile phone having an auxiliary display function surface on one outer surface side when folded in half, a cushioning property is provided on the surface opposite to the surface having the auxiliary display function surface 4b such as a liquid crystal display when folded in half. Give material. This is because traffic fare and transaction data can also be displayed on the auxiliary display function surface 4b, and the non-contact communication medium 1B is normally brought into contact with the receiving unit 8 of the gate with the surface having visible information as the upper surface. When providing partially, it is preferable to provide a cushioning material not only on the upper and lower ends 5a and 5b in a folded state but also on a portion that swells with respect to the flat portion of the box 13. In the case of FIG. 3B, the cushioning material 5c is also applied to the base portion of the rod antenna 16.

The cushioning material 5 is not particularly limited as long as it has some cushioning properties and can withstand normal repeated use conditions. One preferred material is styrene butadiene rubber (SBR). A sheet having a uniform thickness and having an adhesive applied thereto can be attached to a box or casing of a non-contact communication device.
As the thickness increases, the impact can be reduced. However, the thickness of about 0.5 to 5 mm, preferably about 0.8 to 1.2 mm is optimal from the touch of the hand.

Examples of other materials include polyurethane resins. The urethane resin film is sprayed on the entire back surface of the box or the like, and the thickness can be set to, for example, about 0.2 mm. Of course, it does not matter if the thickness is more than that.
The box of a mobile phone is made of ABS resin as described above and is often painted. In the case of a portable SIM reader / writer, the casing is often made of an injection-molded product such as polycarbonate resin, polypropylene resin, or acrylic resin.

For reference, the SIM shape is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the SIM 2 is a uniform thin plate having a length L 1 of about 25 mm and a width L 2 of about 15 mm and a thickness of 1.0 mm or less. The notch 23 is for alignment when the notch is mounted. The external appearance is not different from a general SIM, and has a contact terminal plate 2t on the surface, and a modularized IC chip is mounted on the back surface of the contact terminal plate.
The IC chip has at least a non-contact communication function, and a chip having a non-contact / contact function can be preferably used. The SIM 2 itself may have an antenna coil. The terminal arrangement and size of the terminal board conform to general IC card standards and GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications).

The surface of the contact terminal plate 2t of the SIM 2 has a terminal function based on the ISO 7816 standard, and has eight terminals C1 to C8 as shown in FIG.
C1 is Vcc, C2 is RST, C3 is CLK, C5 is GND, C6 is Vpp, and C7 is for I / O. The C4 and C8 terminals are RFU (reserved) terminals, but the antenna coil can be connected to the IC chip in the SIM using the terminals. Vpp (variable supply voltage) is not actually used.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a situation in which a contactless communication device is used at a ticket gate.
When the contactless communication device 1 having the IC card replacement function is brought into contact with the receiving unit 8 of the ticket gate 7 of the transportation facility as indicated by the arrow Y, the receiving unit 8 of the ticket gate receives the radio wave of the contactless communication device 1. Thus, the door 9 is opened and closed.
The surface of the receiving unit 8 is a hard plastic plate surface, but damage caused by contact increases in a gate through which a large number of people pass. Therefore, it is preferable to provide a cushioning material also on the receiving portion 8 surface.
The same usage is possible in the case of door gates in companies and entrances to facilities.

It is a figure which is an example of a portable non-contact communication device, Comprising: A thing of a mobile telephone type | mold. It is a figure which shows the other example of a non-contact communication device, Comprising: It is a figure which shows a thing of a two-fold portable telephone type. The example of the state which folded the two-fold type non-contact communication device is shown. It is a figure which shows the other example of a non-contact communication device, Comprising: It is a figure which shows a thing of a SIM reader / writer type. It is a figure which shows the opposite side to the display function surface of the non-contact communication device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the opposite side to the display function surface of the non-contact communication device of FIG. It is a figure which shows the shape of SIM. It is a figure which shows the condition which uses a non-contact communication device in a ticket gate.

Explanation of symbols

1,1A, 1B, 1C Non-contact communication device 2 SIM
4 Display function surface, liquid crystal display 4a Main display function surface 4b Auxiliary display function surface 5, 5a, 5b, 5c Cushioning material 6 Lens 7 Gate gate 8 Receiving part 9 Door 10 Button 11 Antenna coil 12 Terminal board 13 Box 14 LED Display 15 Insertion slot 16 Rod antenna 18 Upper lid portion 19 Lower case portion 20 USB connector 23 Notch

Claims (9)

A non-contact communication device in which a contact and non-contact SIM is mounted in a communication device having a mobile phone function, and it is possible to settle a transportation fare and transaction settlement with an external device via an antenna coil included in the device. And having a display function surface for displaying transaction data in the SIM on one surface of the device, and applying a cushioning material to a part or the entire surface of the device opposite to the display function surface. A portable non-contact communication device characterized by mitigating the impact when contacting the device receiver. 2. The portable non-contact communication device according to claim 1, wherein the display function surface is foldable so that it can be folded. A non-contact SIM that can be used for both contact and non-contact is installed in a two-fold communication device having a mobile phone function, and it is possible to settle traffic fares and transactions with external devices via an antenna coil in the device. A contact communication device having a main display function surface for displaying transaction data in the SIM on the inner surface side when the device is folded in two, and an auxiliary display function surface on one outer surface side when the device is folded in two A cushioning material is applied to part or the entire device surface opposite to the auxiliary display function surface when the device is folded in half to reduce the impact when it comes into contact with the external device receiver. A portable non-contact communication device. 4. The portable non-contact communication device according to claim 3, wherein traffic fare and transaction data are displayed on the auxiliary display function surface. Contactless communication with SIM card reader / writer function installed in a contact / non-contact SIM, enabling settlement of traffic fares and transactions with external devices via an antenna coil in the device The device has a display function surface for displaying transaction data in the SIM on one surface of the device, and a cushioning material is applied to a part or the entire surface of the device opposite to the display function surface. A portable non-contact communication device characterized in that an impact when contacted with an external device receiver is reduced. The portable non-contact communication device according to any one of claims 1, 3, and 5, wherein the cushioning material is rubber. The portable non-contact communication device according to any one of claims 1, 3, and 5, wherein the cushioning material is a film made of polyurethane resin. 6. The portable non-contact communication device according to claim 1, wherein the display functional surface is a liquid crystal display. 6. The portable non-contact communication device according to claim 5, wherein the portable non-contact communication device has a USB connector and can be connected to a personal computer or a USB device.

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