JP2006065567A - Non-contact ic card reader/writer - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact IC card reader, with which even a visually impaired person as an object person for position confirmation can easily recognize the reading position of an IC card. <P>SOLUTION: The non-contact IC card reader/writer is provided with a communication section for communicating with the IC card, and a data processing section which is disposed on the side of the communication section so as to be continuous with the communication section, and processes data of the IC card inputted to the communication section. In addition, the communication section and the data processing section have surface shapes that are different. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC card reader / writer, and more particularly to a non-contact IC card reader / writer used for identification.

Conventionally, contact cards such as magnetic stripe cards have been generally known as cards used for identification, but in recent years they are more safe, convenient, and waterproof than magnetic stripe cards. A non-contact type IC card with many points is used.
In order to read / write such IC card data in a non-contact manner, a non-contact IC card reader / writer that communicates with the IC card to send and receive data has been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The non-contact IC card reader / writer has a communication unit that communicates with the IC card, and the IC card data input to the communication unit is transmitted to and received from the host computer, and the IC card data and personal data that are performed by the host computer. And a data processing unit for notifying the result of collation.

Here, the non-contact IC card reader / writer may be installed on the wall surface of the corridor. However, if the non-contact IC card reader / writer is thick, there is a possibility that it may interfere with traffic, and it is not preferable from an aesthetic point of view. It is rare. That is, it is preferable to arrange the communication unit and the data processing unit so as to be arranged in the same plane rather than arranging the communication unit and the data processing unit to be stacked, in order to improve the thinning.
JP 2003-242451 A

  However, when the communication unit and the data processing unit are arranged on the same plane, the positions of the communication unit and the data processing unit are different as viewed from the target person facing the non-contact IC card reader / writer. The position of the communication unit and the data processing unit is not a problem if it is a healthy person, but if it is a visually impaired person, for example, the position of the non-contact IC card reader / writer by moving while touching the wall surface of the hallway However, since it is difficult to individually recognize the communication unit and the data processing unit in the non-contact IC card reader / writer, it is considered that the IC card reading position cannot be recognized smoothly.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact IC card reader capable of easily recognizing a reading position of an IC card even if a person to be identified is a visually handicapped person.

The non-contact IC card reader / writer according to claim 1 is:
A communication unit that communicates with the IC card;
A data processing unit disposed on the side of the communication unit so as to be continuous with the communication unit, and processing data of the IC card input to the communication unit;
The communication unit and the data processing unit have different surface shapes.

  According to the first aspect of the invention, since the surface shapes of the communication unit and the data processing unit are different, the communication unit and the data processing unit can be distinguished from each other only by touching them with the hand. Therefore, even if it is a visually handicapped person, if the surface of a communication part and a data processing part is traced, a communication part and a data processing part can be distinguished, and the reading position of an IC card can be easily recognized. .

The invention described in claim 2 is the non-contact IC card reader / writer according to claim 1,
A concave or convex portion serving as a boundary is formed between the communication unit and the data processing unit.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the concave portion or the convex portion serving as a boundary is formed between the communication portion and the data processing portion, the communication portion and the data processing can be performed only by touching the concave portion or the convex portion. The boundary between the communication unit and the data processing unit can be more reliably distinguished.

The invention according to claim 3 is the contactless IC card reader / writer according to claim 1 or 2,
An antenna for communicating with the IC card is mounted inside the communication unit,
Of the surface portion of the communication section, at least the surface shape of the portion covering the antenna is formed to be convex outward.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since the surface shape of the portion covering the antenna is convex outward, the IC card can be presented close to the antenna, and the reliability of data transmission / reception is improved. Can do.

The invention according to claim 4 is the contactless IC card reader / writer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The surface of the communication unit is engraved with braille indicating the reading position of the IC card.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, since the braille indicating the reading position of the IC card is engraved on the surface of the communication unit, this braille surely notifies the visually handicapped person that the communication unit is the communication unit. Can do.

The invention according to claim 5 is the non-contact IC card reader / writer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A surface shape of the communication unit and the data processing unit is formed so as not to have an acute angle.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, since the surface shapes of the communication unit and the data processing unit are formed so as not to have an acute angle, the stimulation when touched with a hand is reduced, making the subject uncomfortable. This can be suppressed.

The invention according to claim 6 is the non-contact IC card reader / writer according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The data processing unit includes an informing unit for aurally distinguishing and informing the data processing result of the IC card.

  According to the sixth aspect of the invention, since the notification unit audibly distinguishes and notifies the processing result of the data processing unit, the processing result can be surely recognized even by a visually impaired person.

  According to the present invention, the communication unit and the data processing unit can be distinguished from each other only by touching with a hand. Therefore, even if it is a visually handicapped person, if the surface of a communication part and a data processing part is traced, a communication part and a data processing part can be distinguished, and the reading position of an IC card can be easily recognized. .

Hereinafter, a non-contact IC card reader / writer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a device configuration to which a non-contact IC card reader / writer is connected.
As shown in FIG. 1, a non-contact IC card reader / writer 1 is connected to a card controller 2 that controls the non-contact IC card reader / writer, and the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1 communicates with an IC card 3. Thus, the data of the IC card 3 is read and written based on the control of the card controller 2.

  The non-contact IC card reader / writer 1 will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the appearance of the non-contact IC card reader / writer, and FIG. 3 is a side view. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1 is arranged above the communication unit 10 so as to be continuous with the communication unit 10, which communicates with the IC card 3. And a data processing unit 20.

As shown in FIG. 3, an antenna 11 for performing communication with the IC card 3 is mounted inside the communication unit 10. Here, of the surface portion of the communication unit 10, if the portion covering the antenna 11 is the antenna cover unit 12, at least the surface shape of the antenna cover unit 12 is formed in a spherical shape so as to protrude outward. Yes. Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a Braille portion 121 in which Braille is engraved is provided at the center of the surface of the antenna cover portion 12. The braille engraved in the braille portion 121 indicates that the location is the reading position of the IC card 3.
Furthermore, the surface shape of the communication unit 10 is formed so as not to have an acute angle. More specifically, the antenna cover portion 12 is formed in a spherical shape, but the surface portion other than the antenna cover portion 12 is formed flat, so that the flat portion and the antenna cover portion 12 are continuous. The first corner portion 13 is an obtuse angle. Further, the second corner portion 16 that continues to the front surface 14 and the side surface 15 of the communication unit 10 and the third corner portion 18 that continues to the front surface 14 and the lower surface 17 have an arc shape so as to protrude outward. Is formed.

  Inside the data processing unit 20 are mounted an I / O unit 21 that transmits / receives data of the IC card 3 to / from the card controller 2 and a notification unit 22 (see FIG. 4) that notifies the user. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the notification unit 22 includes a standby LED 221 indicating a standby state, an OK LED 222 indicating that identification has been obtained, and an NG LED 223 indicating that identification has not been obtained. Therefore, the data processing unit 20 is provided with light transmission units 201, 202, and 203 that allow the light from the standby LED 221, the OK LED 222, and the NG LED 223 to be visible. A plurality of recesses 23 are formed so that the surface shape of the data processing unit 20 is different from the surface shape of the communication unit 10. Note that the surface shape of the data processing unit 20 is formed so as not to have an acute angle like the communication unit 10. Specifically, each recess 23 is chamfered, but since the surface portion other than the recess 23 is formed flat, the fourth corner portion continuous to the flat portion and the recess 23 is provided. 24 is an obtuse angle. In addition, the fifth corner portion 27 that continues to the front surface 25 and the side surface 26 of the data processing unit 20 and the sixth corner portion 29 that continues to the front surface 25 and the upper surface 28 have an arc shape so as to protrude outward. Is formed.

  And between the communication part 10 and the data processing part 20, the recessed part 30 used as a boundary is formed so that it may follow along a horizontal line. The surface shape of the recess 30 is also formed so as not to have an acute angle.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the antenna 11 in the communication unit 10 and the I / O unit 21 of the data processing unit 20 are electrically connected. Further, the card controller 2 and the notification unit 22 are electrically connected to the I / O unit 21. The notification unit 22 includes an LED 224 such as the standby LED 221, the OK LED 222, and the NG LED 223 described above, and a buzzer 225 that performs audible notification. The buzzer 225 outputs different timbres when the OK LED 222 is lit and when the NG LED 223 is lit.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the card controller 2 is connected with a host computer 4 storing personal data of the user and an automatic door 5 at the entrance / exit. And the personal data of the host computer 4 are collated, and the automatic door 5 is opened and closed based on the collation result.

Hereinafter, the verification procedure will be described.
Users are registered in the host computer 4 in advance, and personal data is created and recorded for each registered user. As the personal data is created, the personal data is also stored in the IC card 3 of each user.

  When a certain user (target person) tries to enter the room, the target person holds the IC card 3 over the communication unit 10 of the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1. At this time, if the target person is a visually handicapped person, the communication unit 10 and the data processing unit 20 are discriminated from each other by touching the surface of the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1 based on the difference in surface shape. Recognize position.

  When the IC card 3 is held over the communication unit 10, the antenna 11 communicates to read data from the IC card 3. This data is transmitted to the card controller 2 via the I / O unit 21. The card controller 2 collates the personal data stored in the host computer 4 with the data of the IC card 3. When the identification of the subject person is obtained by this collation, the card controller 2 outputs a control signal for prompting the lighting of the OK LED 222 to the I / O unit 21, and sends a control signal for prompting the door to the automatic door 5. Output. On the other hand, if the identity of the subject has not been obtained, the card controller 2 outputs a control signal for encouraging the lighting of the NG LED 223 to the I / O unit 21 and a control signal for encouraging the door to be closed. Output to the automatic door 5.

The I / O unit 21 outputs a control signal from the card controller 2 to the notification unit 22. If the control signal input to the notification unit 22 is a control signal that prompts lighting of the OK LED 222, the notification unit 22 turns on the OK LED 222 and outputs a tone based on the lighting of the OK LED 222 from the buzzer 225. Thereby, the subject recognizes that the identification has been obtained and enters the room through the opened automatic door 5.
On the other hand, if the control signal input to the notification unit 22 is a control signal that prompts the lighting of the NG LED 223, the notification unit 22 turns on the NG LED 223 and outputs a tone based on the lighting of the NG LED 223 from the buzzer 225. Let As a result, the subject recognizes that identification has not been obtained.

  Here, in the above case, the operation of each unit at the time of identification is described. For example, when a control signal for urging overwriting of data of the IC card 3 is output from the card controller 2 to the I / O unit 21. A write signal indicating the overwriting content is transmitted from the antenna 11, and the data of the IC card 3 within the communication range of the antenna 11 is overwritten.

As described above, according to the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1 of the present embodiment, the communication unit 10 and the data processing unit 20 have different surface shapes. 20 can be distinguished. Therefore, even if it is a visually impaired person, if the surface of the communication part 10 and the data processing part 20 is traced, the communication part 10 and the data processing part 20 can be distinguished, and the reading position of the IC card 3 can be easily set. Can be recognized.
Moreover, since the recessed part 30 used as the boundary is formed between the communication part 10 and the data processing part 20, the boundary between the communication part 10 and the data processing part 20 can be recognized only by touching this recessed part 30, The communication unit 10 and the data processing unit 20 can be more reliably distinguished.
And since the surface shape of the antenna cover part 12 is convex outward, the IC card 3 can be presented close to the antenna 11 and the reliability of data transmission / reception can be improved.
And since the braille which shows the reading position of the IC card 3 is carved in the braille part 121 of the communication part 10, it can tell reliably that it is the communication part 10 to a visually handicapped person by this braille.

Furthermore, since the surface shapes of the communication unit 10 and the data processing unit 20 are formed so as not to have an acute angle, irritation when touched by a hand is reduced, and it is possible to suppress making the subject uncomfortable.
In addition, since the notification unit 22 audibly distinguishes and notifies the data processing result of the data processing unit 20 based on the data of the IC card 3, even the visually handicapped person can reliably recognize the processing result. .

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate.
For example, in this embodiment, the case where the data processing unit 20 is located below the communication unit 10 has been described as an example. It may be arranged on the side.
Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the boundary between the communication unit 10 and the data processing unit 20 is the concave portion 30 has been described as an example. However, even if the boundary is a convex portion, the convex portion and the concave portion are mixed. It doesn't matter. In addition, it is preferable that the surface shape is formed so as not to have an acute angle at any of the boundary composed only of the convex portion and the boundary where the convex portion and the concave portion are mixed.
Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the surface shape of the antenna cover portion 12 is formed in a spherical shape has been described as an example. However, the shape of the antenna cover portion 12 is not limited to this, for example, a polygonal shape or an elliptical shape. Examples include shape.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the case where the notification unit 22 performs notification with different timbres based on the data processing result of the data processing unit 20 has been described as an example. Good. In such a case, as shown in FIG. 5, a speaker 226 is mounted in the notification unit 22 of the non-contact IC card reader / writer 1A in place of the buzzer 225, and an audio output unit 31 is provided in the I / O unit 21A. ing. When the control signal input to the I / O unit 21 is a control signal that prompts the lighting of the OK LED 222, the audio output unit 31 is configured to provide a sound for notifying that the identification has been obtained (for example, confirmation of permission to enter the room). If the control signal input to the I / O unit 21 is a control signal that prompts the NG LED 222 to turn on, confirmation of identity is obtained. The speaker 226 outputs a sound for notifying that the user has not been entered (for example, “No entry allowed”). Note that the audio data is stored in the ROM of the audio output unit 31.

It is a block diagram showing the apparatus structure to which the non-contact IC card reader / writer concerning this embodiment is connected. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the non-contact IC card reader / writer concerning this embodiment. It is a side view showing the non-contact IC card reader / writer of FIG. It is a block diagram showing the control structure of the non-contact IC card reader / writer of FIG. It is a block diagram showing the modification of the non-contact IC card reader / writer of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-contact IC card reader / writer 3 IC card 10 Communication part 11 Antenna 12 Antenna cover part (part which covers an antenna)
20 Data processing part 22 Notification part 30 Recessed part 121 Braille part

Claims (6)

A communication unit that communicates with the IC card;
A data processing unit disposed on the side of the communication unit so as to be continuous with the communication unit, and processing data of the IC card input to the communication unit;
A contactless IC card reader / writer, wherein the communication unit and the data processing unit have different surface shapes. The contactless IC card reader / writer according to claim 1.
A non-contact IC card reader / writer, wherein a concave or convex portion serving as a boundary is formed between the communication unit and the data processing unit. The contactless IC card reader / writer according to claim 1 or 2,
An antenna for communicating with the IC card is mounted inside the communication unit,
A non-contact IC card reader / writer characterized in that at least a portion of the surface portion of the communication unit that covers the antenna has a convex surface shape. In the non-contact IC card reader / writer according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A non-contact IC card reader / writer, wherein the surface of the communication unit is engraved with braille indicating the reading position of the IC card. In the non-contact IC card reader / writer according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A non-contact IC card reader / writer, wherein the communication unit and the data processing unit are formed so that the surface shapes thereof do not have an acute angle. In the non-contact IC card reader / writer according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The non-contact IC card reader / writer, wherein the data processing unit includes a notifying unit that audibly distinguishes and notifies the data processing result of the IC card.

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