JP2005301528A - Reader writer for ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compactly and inexpensively configured reader/writer for an IC card for stably inputting/outputting information even in the case of a deformed IC card. <P>SOLUTION: This reader/writer for an IC card is provided with a conveyance path 4 for conveying a card, an antenna 15 for transmitting/receiving information in a non-contact state with an IC card 50 positioned at a predetermined communication position and a first conveyance roller 20 and a second conveyance roller 21 arranged at the front and back parts of the antenna 15. The respective conveyance rollers 20 and 21 are configured to hold the IC card 50 in the communication equipment, and arranged on a straight line with the antenna 15 in the card conveyance direction. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC card reader / writer that carries information processing by conveying a non-contact type IC card.

  In recent years, contactless IC cards in which ultra-small IC chips are embedded and IC card readers / writers for reading and writing information from and to the IC cards by wireless communication have begun to spread. When the reader / writer communicates with the non-contact IC card, the IC card generates electricity for driving itself using radio waves transmitted from the antenna of the reader / writer. Then, a potential difference is generated between the card and the reader / writer by electromagnetic induction or energy of the radio wave itself, and information is read or written wirelessly. In such a reader / writer, the inserted IC card is sandwiched between transport rollers and transported to a communication position, and the IC card is stopped at that position to read / write information.

  When a reader / writer and an IC card communicate information, if a metal is present near the antenna or IC chip, this metal disturbs electromagnetic induction, so reading of information from the reader / writer and information to the IC card Cannot be written correctly. For this reason, the reader / writer is designed so as not to use metal parts around the IC card and the antenna at the communication position.

  In the proximity IC card, it is necessary to make the distance between the antenna and the IC chip at the communication position constant. For example, in one proximity type IC card, the distance between the antenna and the IC chip needs to be between 1.2 mm and 2.4 mm at the communication position. However, when the IC card deformed by the user is used, the distance between the IC card and the antenna in the card thickness direction may be greatly increased. That is, when the conveyance roller or the like sandwiches the deformed portion of the IC card, a force that lifts from the conveyance surface that should be originally conveyed acts on the IC card. If this lifting occurs when the IC card is in the communication position, the antenna disposed in the vicinity of the transfer surface and the IC chip are separated. When the IC card and the antenna are separated from each other, there is a problem that information cannot be read or written accurately because the interaction due to the electric field or magnetic field is weakened. Further, when the distance is increased, the amount of electricity that can be generated by the IC card decreases, and there is a possibility that the IC card itself cannot be driven.

  On the other hand, it is also conceivable that a pressing roller is provided on the opposite side of the antenna with the IC card in between to press the IC card against the antenna side. However, in this configuration, since the IC chip and the pressure roller are close to each other at the communication position, it is necessary to use non-metallic parts for the roller shaft center, and the shaft center may be damaged when a load is applied to the pressure roller. There is sex.

An electric card pressing member is provided on the opposite side of the antenna across the IC card instead of the pressing roller, and the antenna and the IC card are forcibly pressed against the antenna side by the card pressing member. There is Patent Document 1 that discloses a technique that makes it possible to stably input and output information while maintaining a constant distance from the above.
Japanese Patent No. 3241254

  However, this method requires a powerful and large drive source to forcibly return the deformed IC card to the original state by the pressing member. Furthermore, a powerful conveying force for conveying the deformed portion of the card is also required. For this reason, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large and power consumption increases and the apparatus itself is expensive. In addition, since a large load is applied to the IC card, the IC chip may be damaged or the card may be damaged.

  The present invention has been improved in view of these points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reader capable of stably inputting and outputting information even with a deformed IC card with a small and inexpensive configuration. To provide a writer.

  The IC card reader / writer according to the present invention includes an insertion slot for inserting a card, conveyance means for conveying a card while sandwiching a part in the card width direction, and conveyance for conveying a card inserted from the card insertion slot. A path and antenna means for transmitting and receiving information in a contactless manner with a card transported to a predetermined communication position of the transport path, wherein the transport means is at least partially in the width direction with the antenna means at the communication position. It is characterized by holding the cards at overlapping positions.

  Further, the transport means of the IC card reader / writer according to the present invention includes a first transport means disposed on the insertion port side from the antenna means, and a second transport means disposed on the side opposite to the insertion port from the antenna means. It is comprised from these.

  In the IC card reader / writer according to the present invention, both the antenna means and the transport means are arranged at the center in the width direction of the transport path.

  In the IC card reader / writer according to the present invention, the distance in the card thickness direction of the transport path is wider at the end in the width direction than at the center.

  According to the present invention, the conveying means for conveying the card in contact with a part in the width direction of the card is disposed at a position overlapping the antenna means in the width direction of the card, so that even a deformed IC card is stable. Information can be input and output.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an IC card reader / writer showing an embodiment of the present invention. The IC card reader / writer is formed of a lower housing 1 and an upper housing 2. The lower housing 1 is provided with an insertion port 3 for inserting a card. A conveyance path 4 shown in FIG. 3 is formed behind the insertion port 3. The upper housing 2 can be rotated with respect to the lower housing 1 by operating the lever 5, and the conveyance path 4 is exposed at the rotated position. Further, a cover 6 that covers the outside of the upper housing 2 is fixed.

  FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the lower casing 1 with the upper casing 2 removed from the IC card reader / writer of this embodiment. The lower housing 1 is formed with a lower transport surface 11 and side walls 12 and 13 that form the lower surface and side surfaces of the transport path 4. The side walls 12 and 13 are formed along the lower conveyance surface 11 at positions slightly separated from the width of the IC card 50. The dimensions of the IC card are determined to be about 54.0 mm in width and about 85.6 mm in length according to JIS standard X6301.

  A raised portion 14 is formed on the rear side of the lower conveyance surface 11 (on the side opposite to the insertion port) and in a convex shape in the width direction central portion, as compared with other conveyance surfaces. An antenna substrate 16 on which an antenna 15 is mounted is fixed to the lower housing 1 inside the raised portion 14. The IC chip 51 is also built in the center of the IC card 50 in the width direction, and performs communication with the antenna 15 and the IC chip 51 facing each other at a communication position described later.

  A hole 17 is formed in the lower transport surface 11 in front of the antenna 15 (on the insertion port 3 side). A hole 18 is formed behind the antenna 15. A first transport roller 20 and a second transport roller 21 are disposed below the holes 17 and 18, with the upper ends protruding above the raised portions 14 through the holes 17 and 18. Both the distance from the axis of the first conveying roller 20 to the insertion port 3 and the inter-axis distance from the first conveying roller 20 to the second conveying roller 21 are set to be shorter than the length of the IC card 50 in the conveying direction. Yes. Further, the transport rollers 20 and 21 and the antenna 15 are arranged at the center in the width direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) of the transport path 4 so that the centers in the width direction are aligned in the transport direction. Further, the widths of the first conveyance roller 20 and the second conveyance roller 21 are the same.

  The first conveyance roller 20 and the second conveyance roller 21 are respectively fixed to a shaft 22 and a shaft 23 that are rotatably held by the lower housing 1. A gear 24 is fixed to the end portion of the shaft 22, and the gear 24 is connected to a pinion 41 press-fitted into the rotating shaft of the motor 40 via a gear 25 and a gear 26. A gear 27 is fixed to the end of the shaft 23, and the gear 27 is connected to the pinion 41 via a gear 28 and a gear 26.

  FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the IC card reader / writer according to the present embodiment cut at the center in the width direction of the transport path 4. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the back by cutting the IC card reader / writer in the vicinity of the antenna 15 according to this embodiment. A control board 29 is fixed below the lower transport surface 11. A CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. (not shown) are mounted on the control board 29, and signals are sent from sensors provided in the transport path 4 and switches for detecting opening / closing of the upper housing 2 (none of which are shown). The motor 40 is controlled. The control board 29 is also connected to the antenna board 16 and controls the generation of an electric field and a magnetic field by the antenna 15 and information input / output operation.

  The upper casing 2 includes a first driven roller 31 pressed in the direction of the first conveying roller 20 by the spring 30, and a second driven roller 33 pressed in the direction of the second conveying roller 21 by the spring 32. Is provided. The first driven roller 31 and the second driven roller 33 form a roller pair so as to face the first transport roller 20 and the second transport roller 21, respectively, with the upper casing 2 closed. The cards 50 are respectively sandwiched and conveyed in the conveyance direction (left and right direction in FIG. 3). The first driven roller 31 and the second driven roller 33 have the same width, and the center in the width direction is the same as that of the transport rollers 20 and 21.

  An upper conveyance surface 34 that forms the upper surface of the conveyance path 4 is formed in the upper housing 2. First protrusions 35 and 36 are formed on the upper transport surface 34 before and after the first driven roller 31 so as to project downward compared to the other transport surfaces. In addition, a second projecting portion 37 is formed in front of the second driven roller 33 on the upper transport surface 34 so as to project downward compared to the other transport surfaces. The second projecting portion 37 is formed at a position facing the raised portion 14 with the upper housing 2 closed. The first protrusions 35 and 36 and the second protrusion 37 are all provided only in the center in the width direction of the transport path 4.

  Next, the operation of the IC card reader / writer of this embodiment will be described mainly with reference to FIG. When a sensor (not shown) detects that the user has inserted the IC card 50 from the insertion port 3 to the vicinity of the first conveying roller 20, the control board 29 rotates the motor 40 in the forward direction. Then, the IC card 50 sandwiched between the first transport roller 20 and the first driven roller 31 is transported to the communication position shown in FIG.

  This communication position is a position where the IC chip 51 faces the antenna 15. In this embodiment, the rear end of the IC card 50 is sandwiched between the first transport roller 20 and the first driven roller 31. In addition, the tip of the IC card 50 is also a position sandwiched between the second transport roller 21 and the second driven roller 33. In this embodiment, the IC chip 51 is built in the center of the IC card 50 in the width direction.

  At the communication position, the IC card 50 is sandwiched only at the center in the card width direction by each pair of transport rollers. Therefore, even if the IC card 50 is warped in the width direction or the corners are deformed, the IC chip 51 built-in part of the IC card 50 may be lifted from the transport surface (the surface defined by the tangent line of the transport roller pair). Absent. Therefore, the distance between the antenna 15 and the IC chip 51 is the same as that in the case of the IC card 50 that is not deformed, and there is no possibility of causing trouble in information communication.

  When the IC card 50 stops at the communication position, the antenna 15 is driven to input / output information to / from the IC card 50. When it is not necessary to return to the user after the input / output is completed, the motor 40 is driven in the forward direction, the IC card 50 is discharged from the discharge port 52, and the process is terminated. On the other hand, when it is necessary to return to the user, the motor 40 is driven in the reverse direction so that the rear end of the IC card 50 protrudes from the insertion port 3 to stop the motor 40 and wait. If it is detected by the sensor that 50 has been removed, the process is terminated.

  According to the configuration of the present embodiment, both the first transport roller 20 and the second transport roller 21 that sandwich the IC card 50 at the communication position are both aligned with the antenna 15 in the transport direction of the IC card 50. Therefore, even if the IC card 50 is curved in the width direction, the distance in the card thickness direction between the IC chip incorporated in the IC card 50 and the antenna 15 can be kept constant. It becomes possible to stabilize.

  In the present embodiment, the first transport roller 20 and the second transport roller 21 are arranged before and after the antenna 15 and the IC card 50 is sandwiched between the front and rear of the antenna 15 to perform communication. It is possible to further suppress variations in the position of the IC chip 51 in the thickness direction.

  Further, in this embodiment, the transport rollers 20 and 21 and the driven rollers 31 and 33 are disposed only in the center in the card width direction, and the end of the transport path 4 is spaced apart in the card thickness direction compared to the center. Widely formed. Therefore, even if the end portion in the width direction of the IC card 50 is deformed or curved in the width direction, each roller or the transport path 4 and the end portion in the width direction of the IC card 50 may come into contact with each other and become a transport load. Absent. Therefore, the IC card 50 can be transported with a small transport force.

  The IC card reader / writer according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements can be made within the scope described in the claims. For example, it is not always necessary to provide the conveying means before and after the antenna means. If the position is in a straight line with the antenna means in the conveying direction, one of the front (first conveying roller means) or the rear (second conveying roller means). Only it is good. In addition, it is most desirable that the center of the conveyance roller unit and the antenna unit in the width direction are completely coincided with each other as in the present embodiment. It may be sufficient to arrange at least a part of the conveying roller means and the antenna means in the width direction. Further, the conveying roller means and the antenna means are not necessarily arranged at the center in the card width direction, and all of them may be arranged near the end of the card. Moreover, the conveyance means should just be what contacts and conveys a card | curd, for example, you may use a conveyance belt. Furthermore, you may combine these modifications suitably.

It is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the reader / writer for IC cards which shows the Example of this invention. 1 is a plan view showing a lower casing 1 of an IC card reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional side view which cut | disconnected the reader / writer for IC cards of the Example of this invention in the width direction center. It is sectional drawing which cut | disconnected the reader / writer for IC cards of the Example of this invention in the antenna vicinity.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower housing | casing 2 Upper housing | casing 3 Insertion slot 5 Carriage path 15 Antenna 20 1st conveyance roller 21 2nd conveyance roller 50 IC card 51 IC chip 51

Claims (4)

An insertion slot for inserting a card,
Conveying means for conveying a card while sandwiching a part in the card width direction;
A transport path through which the card inserted from the card insertion slot is transported;
Comprising a card conveyed to a predetermined communication position of the conveyance path and an antenna means for transmitting and receiving information without contact;
The IC card reader / writer, wherein the conveying means holds the card at a position where the antenna means overlaps at least a part in the width direction at the communication position.   The conveying means is composed of a first conveying means arranged on the insertion port side from the antenna means and a second conveying means arranged on the side opposite to the insertion port from the antenna means. Item 2. An IC card reader / writer according to Item 1.   3. The IC card reader / writer according to claim 1, wherein both of the antenna unit and the transport unit are arranged in the center in the width direction of the transport path.   5. The reader / writer for an IC card according to claim 4, wherein an interval in the card thickness direction of the transport path is formed wider at an end portion in the width direction than at a center portion.

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