JP2007034397A - Non-contact ic card reader device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-contact IC card reader device having a format of wiring equipment attached to a wall wherein an antenna which is regardless of a conventional in-housing arrangement is used to improve communication performance such as a communicable distance. <P>SOLUTION: The non-contact IC card reader device 1 has a primary body control section which controls the operation of the whole card reader, a radio circuit which modulates and demodulates transmitted and received data, a housing 5 which houses the primary body control section and the radio circuit, a loop antenna 2 which generates an AC magnetic field to supply electric power to and communicate with an IC card. The loop antenna 2 is constituted on the metallic fitting member 6 by allowing a conductor pattern to be formed on a dielectric substrate by printing or etching, and laminated on the fitting member 6 across a magnetic material substrate, so that the fitting member 6 and the loop antenna 2 are united together. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC card reader device that performs contactless communication with an IC card. For example, an ID card, a management card, a commuter pass, a coupon ticket, a cash in an entry / exit management system, an automatic ticket gate system, electronic money, etc. The present invention relates to a non-contact IC card reader device that performs non-contact communication with a non-contact IC card such as a card.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a non-contact IC card reader device that is embedded in a wall surface, a loop antenna for communicating with an IC card, a control unit that performs modulation / demodulation of transmission / reception data, and controls the card reader, and a housing for storing them Some have a body. And it has the attachment member for embedding and attaching a housing | casing to a wall surface, and the decorative panel which covers an attachment member and protects the front surface is provided.

  In the non-contact IC card reader as described above, a loop antenna for performing communication with the IC card is provided in the housing. In addition, since the size of the housing has to be relatively small with respect to the sizes of the mounting member and the decorative panel, the size of the loop antenna stored in the housing has also been reduced accordingly.

  The size of the loop antenna is an important factor that determines the readable distance of the IC card, and there is a problem in that the readable distance of the IC card is shortened by reducing the size of the loop antenna.

  In addition, when the mounting member is a conductor such as metal, there is a problem in that an eddy current is generated due to an alternating magnetic field generated from the loop antenna, the antenna characteristics are deteriorated, and the reading distance of the IC card is shortened.

  Also, from the aesthetic point of view, the housing including the loop antenna is arranged behind the mounting frame to avoid protrusion from the wall surface, which causes the IC card reading distance from the wall surface to be shortened. ing.

  For example, Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a technique for stably maintaining an antenna mounting method of a non-contact IC card reader device without greatly shifting the positional relationship of the antenna.

  The non-contact IC card reader device of Patent Document 1 transmits an electromagnetic wave from a transmission antenna and receives the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the non-contact IC card with a reception antenna. At least one of these antennas is a coil, and has an insulating substrate for holding the coil, and attachment means for fixing the coil to the substrate. The attachment means is for fixing the coil at a predetermined position of the substrate, and crosses the coil and engages with a through hole provided at the coil arrangement position of the substrate, thereby fixing the coil at the predetermined position.

Also, a non-contact IC card reader device in which a metal body in the vicinity of the surface on the operation surface side of the antenna does not affect the communicable distance of the antenna is known for the antenna of the wall surface embedded type non-contact IC card reader device. (For example, Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a decorative member is cut so as not to affect the reading distance by a metallic decorative member near the operation surface side surface of the antenna.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-126036 JP-A-4-86974

  According to the non-contact IC card reader device of Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the antenna can be efficiently fixed. However, in Patent Document 1, in a non-contact IC card reader embedded in a wall surface, the communication distance from the wall surface to the IC card can be extended as much as possible by putting out the antenna as far as possible. There is no mention of enlarging the antenna to make money.

  Patent Document 2 relates to a non-contact IC card reader that does not affect the distance (communication distance) at which an IC card can be read by a metallic decorative member in the vicinity of the operation surface side surface of the antenna. A technique of cutting a decorative member is disclosed. However, there is no description about extending the communicable distance from the wall surface to the IC card as much as possible, or increasing the antenna to increase the communication sensitivity and communicable distance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems. In order to prevent deterioration of antenna characteristics, the communicable distance from the wall surface to the IC card can be extended as much as possible, and the size of the antenna can be increased. An object is to provide a contact IC card reader device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a non-contact IC card reader device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a main body control unit that controls the operation of the entire card reader, a wireless circuit unit that performs modulation / demodulation of transmission / reception data, A housing for storing the main body control unit and the wireless circuit unit, a loop antenna for generating an alternating magnetic field for communicating with an IC card, and an attachment member for attaching the housing to a wall surface A non-contact IC card reader device that performs non-contact communication with an IC card, wherein the loop antenna is laminated on the mounting member via a magnetic layer that is an insulating material, and the loop antenna and the magnetic layer are made of metal. It is characterized by being laminated and integrated on the made mounting member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the non-contact IC card reader device according to the first aspect, the loop antenna has a conductive pattern formed on a dielectric substrate by printing or etching.

  According to the non-contact IC card reader device of the first aspect of the present invention, the antenna is provided on the mounting member having a front dimension larger than that of the housing and disposed on the front surface. Degradation can be reduced, and communication performance can be improved. Furthermore, since the attachment member is made of metal, the strength can be ensured. In addition, since the insulation between the surrounding metal mounting member and the loop antenna is made possible by using the magnetic material layer, which is an insulating material, unnecessary electromagnetic influences from the surrounding metal mounting member can be prevented. The performance can be improved.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the non-contact IC card reader device according to the first aspect, the loop antenna portion can be easily manufactured by an existing inexpensive technique, and the non-contact IC card reader can be easily manufactured. Thus, the antenna performance can be further improved and the cost can be reduced.

  Next, the best mode of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of a non-contact IC card reader device (hereinafter also simply referred to as an IC card reader) according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view of the state in which it is attached to a wall surface, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view showing the configuration of the housing.

  As shown in the figure, the IC card reader 1 of this embodiment includes a loop antenna 2 for supplying power to and communicating with an IC card (not shown), and a main body control unit for controlling the operation of the entire IC card reader. 3, a wireless circuit unit 4 that performs modulation / demodulation of transmission / reception data, and a housing 5 that stores the main body control unit 3 and the wireless circuit unit 4. Furthermore, it has the attachment member 6 and the decorative panel (decorative board) 7 which were integrated with the antenna 2 for attaching the housing | casing 5 to the wall 9 surface.

  The loop antenna 2 has a conductor pattern formed on a substrate such as a dielectric by printing or etching, or is formed by winding a conductor, and serves to generate an alternating magnetic field in order to feed and communicate with an IC card. The loop antenna 2 is laminated and bonded to a metal base or mounting frame as the mounting member 6 via a magnetic substrate 8, and is integrally formed with the mounting member 6 on the IC card reader side.

  The main body control unit 3 is a part that controls the operation of the entire card reader, and is provided on the substrate and stored in the housing 5. The radio circuit unit 4 performs modulation / demodulation of data transmitted / received by the loop antenna 2, and is also provided on the substrate and stored in the housing 5 like the main body control unit 3. The housing 5 has a substantially box shape, stores the main body control unit 3 and the radio circuit unit 4 provided on the board, and is fixed to the mounting member 6, most of which is installed inside the wall surface. The

  The attachment member 6 is formed of a metal plate material, and a central portion is opened to fit the housing 5, and a locking member 6 a that faces the opening and is biased toward the center is provided. And the lead wire 11 is connected to each edge part of the loop antenna 2 integrated with the attachment member 6, and it is derived | led-out to the back surface side. Further, an insertion hole 10 to be attached to the wall 9 is provided on a pair of opposing sides of the attachment member 6. Then, the screw 12 is inserted into the insertion hole 10 and the attachment member 6 is fixed to the wall 9. Thereby, the housing | casing 5 fitted to opening is attached to a wall.

  In the IC card reader 1 configured as described above, the housing 5 is fitted to the mounting member 6, the mounting member 6 is fixed to the surface of the wall 9 with screws 12, and the front surface of the mounting member 6 is covered so as to cover the decorative panel 7. Is fixed to prevent the appearance of the screw and other exposed items.

  And it operates as an antenna when a current flows through the loop antenna. When the IC card is held over the decorative panel surface of the IC card reader 1, a current flows through the antenna of the IC card by the AC magnetic field generated from the IC card reader, and power is supplied. Then, the control circuit of the IC card is driven, the recorded information signal is emitted and received by the loop antenna 2, the information signal is analyzed by the radio circuit unit 4, processed by the main body control unit 3, and processed Output a signal.

  By configuring an IC card reader as in this embodiment, a metal mounting member integrated antenna having both the function of a loop antenna and the function of a mounting member can be created, ensuring strength, facilitating manufacturing, and reducing costs. Can be achieved.

  4A and 4B are diagrams showing another example of a loop antenna integrated mounting member. FIG. 4A is an exploded perspective view and FIG. 4B is a perspective view thereof. The mounting member integrated with the loop antenna of the present embodiment is different from the above embodiment in that the insulating layer is laminated with a magnetic layer and a dielectric layer interposed, but the common parts are the same. Detailed description will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the attachment member 6 is formed of a metal plate material, the central portion is open, a locking member 6 a that is biased toward the center facing the opening is provided, and the conductor is wound. The loop antenna 2 is laminated and integrated through a magnetic layer 8 laminated on a base. And the lead wire 11 is connected to each edge part of the loop antenna 2 integrated with the attachment member 6, and it is derived | led-out to the back surface side. In order to pull out the lead wire 11 to the back surface, a hole (not shown) is formed in the magnetic layer 8 and the attachment member 6, and an insulating material is provided in the hole of the attachment member 6 so that the lead wire 11 is insulated. 11 is inserted through the holes of the magnetic layer 8 and the attachment member 6 and the lead wire 11 is pulled out to the back surface. In this way, the exposure of the lead wire 11 cannot be seen, and the appearance does not deteriorate.

  The loop antenna integrated mounting member configured as in this embodiment has both functions of the loop antenna and the mounting member, and the base portion of the mounting member is made of metal, thereby ensuring strength and reducing manufacturing costs. I can plan. In addition, since a magnetic layer is provided between the loop antenna and the metal base, an eddy current that induces a counter electromotive force that hinders the direction of the antenna current is generated in the mounting member during antenna operation, and the antenna characteristics are improved. It is possible to prevent a problem that the communication distance with the IC card is shortened due to deterioration.

  In the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, but can be easily changed. For example, the loop antenna may be formed by being bent by a linear conductor. In addition, although the example in which the connection between the loop antenna and the wireless circuit unit is performed using a lead wire has been described, another connection method may be used. In the above embodiment, the case and the mounting member are fixed by fitting. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other means such as screws and adhesive tape can be used alone or in combination. But it doesn't matter.

  In each of the above embodiments, as an IC card, a back electromotive force is generated in an internal circuit by reciprocating magnetic flux from a loop antenna of a housing of a non-contact IC card reader device at a high speed, and this back electromotive force is generated. Although the type used for the internal power source has been illustrated, the present invention is not limited to this, and the internal power source of the IC card may be generated independently by a power source built in the IC card. That is, the main body control unit, the radio circuit unit, and the loop antenna of the non-contact IC card reader device may send only the magnetic magnetic flux as a radio signal to the IC card without supplying power to the IC card.

1 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of a non-contact IC card reader device according to the present invention. FIG. It is the side view. It is a front view which shows the structure of the housing | casing. It is a figure which shows the other example of the attachment member integrated antenna, The figure (a) is an exploded perspective view, The figure (b) is the integrated perspective view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-contact IC card reader apparatus 2 Loop antenna 3 Main body control part 4 Radio | wireless circuit part 5 Case 6 Mounting member 6a Locking member 7 Cosmetic panel 8 Magnetic substrate 9 Wall 11 Lead wire

Claims (2)

  A main body control unit that controls the operation of the entire card reader, a wireless circuit unit that modulates and demodulates transmission / reception data, a housing that stores the main body control unit and the wireless circuit unit, and an alternating current for communication with the IC card A non-contact IC card reader device that includes a loop antenna that generates a magnetic field and an attachment member for attaching the housing to a wall surface, and performs non-contact communication with an IC card, wherein the loop antenna is an insulating material A non-contact IC card reader device, wherein a loop antenna and a magnetic material layer are laminated and integrated on the metal attachment member by being laminated on the attachment member via a certain magnetic material layer.   2. The contactless IC card reader device according to claim 1, wherein the loop antenna has a conductor pattern formed on a dielectric substrate by printing or etching.

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