JP2008027199A - Noncontact ic card storage device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To establish stable communication between a noncontact IC card and a card R/W device even if a user presents a plurality of noncontact IC cards in a wallet or a case to the card R/W device in settlement processing or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A noncontact IC card storage device storing a plurality of noncontact IC cards includes: a means for obtaining the card information of each noncontact IC card stored in the noncontact IC card storage device; a means for storing the plurality of pieces of card information obtained; and a means which, upon receiving a card capture instruction from the noncontact IC card reader/writer device during settlement processing or the like, searches the stored card information for the noncontact IC card corresponding to the card capture instruction, to set an antenna so that the noncontact IC card can communicate with the noncontact IC card reader/writer device. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a non-contact IC card storage device capable of storing a plurality of non-contact IC cards. More specifically, the present invention relates to a corresponding one of a plurality of non-contact IC cards stored in the storage device. The present invention relates to a non-contact IC card storage device that enables communication by selecting a non-contact IC card.

In recent years, IC cards in which an IC chip is embedded in a cash card-sized plastic card so that information can be recorded have become widespread.
In particular, a non-contact IC card that includes an antenna in a card and communicates with a non-contact IC card reader / writer device (hereinafter referred to as a card R / W device) using weak radio waves is connected to the card R / W device. Since it can be processed without contact, it is widely used in railways, buses, leisure facilities, convenience stores and the like that require high-speed payment processing.

  With the widespread use of non-contact IC cards, users will be able to hold non-contact IC cards from various card operators, and when using non-contact IC cards for payment processing, etc. It is conceivable to put a wallet or card case containing an IC card directly into a card R / W device.

  In Patent Document 1, even when a plurality of non-contact IC cards are overlapped and presented to the card R / W device, communication with a plurality of non-contact IC cards can be performed stably. A contactless communication card, a card holder, and a method are disclosed. However, the usage form in which non-contact IC cards of different card companies are mixed and presented to the card R / W device requires access from the card R / W device to the non-contact IC card that does not require a transaction. The communication quality between the card and the card R / W device is lowered and the communication time is increased. Therefore, in many cases, the card R / W device is configured to interrupt the transaction when a plurality of non-contact IC cards are detected when the card is presented by the user. The reason for the interruption of the transaction is to have the user present again only the contactless IC card of the card company corresponding to the user.

Patent Document 2 discloses a card case for preventing the transaction of the card R / W device from being stopped when the card is used. This card case has a configuration in which each non-contact IC card is covered with a shielding plate, and the user opens the front of the non-contact IC card to be presented to the card R / W device when using the card. It is comprised so that the influence from (a coin, another non-contact IC card, a metal article, etc.) can be prevented with a shielding board. However, since the user needs to select a contactless IC card to be used in advance and open it to the front, if the user is confused, there is a possibility that congestion will occur in the ticket gates of the station or the payment terminal device. Also, there may be a case where the user rushes to present an unintended non-contact IC card and uses it without noticing it. Therefore, an apparatus, a method, and the like that are easier for the user to use are required.
JP 2000-99655 A JP 2006-18785 A

  As described above, with the spread of non-contact IC cards in the future, it is conceivable that a user can store and use a plurality of non-contact IC cards with different card operators in a wallet or a case.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to present a card R / W device together with a plurality of contactless IC cards with different card operators stored in a wallet or case when performing a payment process or the like. Even in this case, it is an object of the present invention to provide a non-contact IC card storage device capable of stably communicating between a corresponding non-contact IC card and a card R / W device.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the non-contact IC card storage device of the present invention has a first antenna for communicating with the card R / W device arranged on the uppermost surface and the lowermost surface of the card. A plurality of slots for storing contact IC cards and second antennas used for communication between the non-contact IC card and the non-contact IC card storage device are grouped by being partitioned by a shielding plate. Then, the storage device acquires card information including a card carrier type and identification information of the second antenna used for communication for each of the plurality of contactless IC cards inserted into the slot. The non-contact IC card storage device is stored in the storage table, and the user presents the non-contact IC card storage device at the time of payment processing, so that the first antenna of the non-contact IC card storage device issues a card capture command from the card R / W device. Upon receipt, the non-contact IC card corresponding to the card capture command is searched from the storage table, the corresponding second antenna is switched to a communicable state, and the corresponding non-contact IC card is passed through the non-contact IC card storage device. The card R / W device is configured to perform payment processing and the like.

  With such a configuration, a plurality of non-contact IC cards are simultaneously presented to the card R / W device, but only one non-contact IC card performs communication, so that stable communication can be realized. In addition, since a plurality of non-contact IC cards are not simultaneously detected by the card R / W device, transaction interruption does not occur. Further, since the user does not need to select a use card for payment processing or the like, the ticket gates at the station and congestion around the payment processing terminal device are not caused.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-contact IC card storage device capable of storing a plurality of non-contact IC cards, wherein card information of each non-contact IC card stored in the non-contact IC card storage device is obtained. Means for acquiring, means for storing the plurality of acquired card information, and non-contact corresponding to the card acquisition command from the stored card information upon receiving a card acquisition command from the non-contact IC card reader / writer device Means for searching for an IC card, and setting an antenna so that the non-contact IC card can communicate with the non-contact IC card reader / writer device. Thereby, when a card capture request is received from the non-contact IC card reader / writer device, it is possible to select a corresponding card from a plurality of card information stored in the non-contact IC card storage device. The user can surely respond to the non-contact IC card reader / writer device without selecting a card. In addition, since communication is performed between a non-contact IC card and a non-contact IC card reader / writer device, communication processing such as mutual authentication communication and reading / writing of information in the non-contact IC card is surely performed. Is possible.

  According to the present invention, even when a plurality of non-contact IC cards are presented to the card R / W device at the same time, the communication between one non-contact IC card and the card R / W device is realized, thereby realizing stable communication. This is possible, and since a plurality of non-contact IC cards are not detected by the card R / W device at the same time, it is possible to prevent interruption of the settlement process. Further, since the user does not need to select a use card for payment processing or the like, congestion in the vicinity of the ticket gate of the station or the payment processing terminal device is not caused.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows the external appearance of a non-contact IC card storage device that is an embodiment of the present invention.
The non-contact IC card storage device 1 includes an antenna A100 for performing communication with a card R / W device (not shown) on the top surface of the card and the bottom surface of the card. The non-contact IC card 2 is stored as shown in FIG. 1, and the LED 3 indicates that card information is being acquired from the non-contact IC card 2 stored in the storage device 1 by lighting or blinking.

FIG. 2 shows a view of the non-contact IC card storage device 1 shown in FIG.
As described above, the storage device 1 has the antenna A100 disposed on the top surface and the bottom surface of the card so that communication with the card R / W device can be performed from the top surface or the bottom surface of the non-contact IC card storage device 1. ing.

  The non-contact IC card storage device 1 includes a plurality of slots (slot b4, slot c5, and slot d6) for storing one non-contact IC card 2. In the slots (slot b4, slot c5, slot d6), antennas (antenna B127, antenna C128, antenna D129) used for communication between the non-contact IC card 2 stored in the slot and the non-contact IC card storage device 1 are provided. Are adjacent to each other, and the combination of slot and antenna (slot b4 and antenna B127, slot c5 and antenna C128, slot d6 and antenna D129) is partitioned by a shielding plate 7 to prevent radio wave interference between adjacent antennas. Be placed. The shielding plate 7 shown in this example is generally made of a material such as metal, aluminum, steel, or ferrite, but is not particularly limited as long as it has a shielding effect against radio waves. In addition, a switch 108 that can detect whether or not the non-contact IC card 2 is inserted is disposed in each of the slots (slot b4, slot c5, and slot d6).

FIG. 3 shows an internal configuration of the non-contact IC card storage device 1 which is an embodiment of the present invention.
First, as the main processing part of the non-contact IC card storage device 1, the CPU 109 that performs control of the entire device, data processing, and the like, and the card information of the non-contact IC card 2 stored in the non-contact IC card storage device 1 are acquired. ROM 120 that stores a control program for communication, a communication control program between the card R / W device and the non-contact IC card 2, and a RAM 121 that temporarily stores data necessary for communication with the non-contact IC card 2 And a non-volatile memory 130 for storing and storing card information of a plurality of non-contact IC cards 2 in a table.

  Further, as a communication part with the card R / W device, the antenna A100, the demodulating means 103 for demodulating the radio wave received from the card R / W device, and the data output from the demodulating means 103 are processed and the CPU 109 is processed. A data processing unit 104 that processes data output from the CPU 109 or outputs the data to the modulation unit 102, a modulation unit 102 for transmitting the data output from the data processing unit 104 by wireless communication, and a modulation A transmission driver 101 for controlling transmission of the data modulated by the means 102.

  Furthermore, as a communication part with the non-contact IC card 2, an antenna B127, an antenna C128, an antenna D129 for communicating with the non-contact IC card 2 accommodated in the slot b4, the slot c5, and the slot d6, In order to communicate with one non-contact IC card 2 via the antenna, an antenna switching means 126 for switching the antenna and a demodulation means for demodulating and converting radio waves received from the non-contact IC card 2 125, the data output from the demodulator 125 and processed to output to the CPU 109, or the data output from the CPU 109 processed to the modulator 123 and output from the data processor 122. Modulation means 123 for transmitting the received data by wireless communication and the modulation means 123 And a transmit driver 124 that transmits control data.

  The non-contact IC card storage device 1 is supplied with power by radio waves from the battery power source 107 or the card R / W device. That is, when the non-contact IC card storage device 1 receives a radio wave from the card R / W device, power is generated through the power generation means 105 including a rectifier diode, a resistor, and a capacitor, and the non-contact IC card storage When the non-contact IC card 2 is inserted into any of the slot b4, the slot c5, and the slot d6 of the device 1, the switch 108 is turned on and power supply from the battery power source 107 is started. These two power sources are configured to be connected to the entire circuit through power supply means 106 for switching to the respective power sources.

  Next, a process in which the CPU 109 of the contactless IC card storage device 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 uses the RAM 121 to execute a control program stored in the ROM 120 will be described with reference to FIGS. I will explain.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a processing flow when the power is turned on.
When power is supplied from the power supply means 106 and the power is turned on, the state of the switch 108 is checked in step S1. As shown in FIG. 3, the status signal of the switch 108 is input to the CPU 109, and the CPU 109 performs the check in step S1 based on this signal. In step S1, if the switch state signal is ON (power supply from the battery), the process proceeds to step S2, and processing for acquiring card information of all cards stored in the non-contact IC card storage device 1 is performed. . Details will be described with reference to FIG.

  If the switch state signal is OFF (power supply by radio waves from the card R / W device) in step S1, the process proceeds to step S3, and one non-contact IC card 2 that communicates with the card R / W device. The card selection process for selecting is performed. Details will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 shows a processing flow for acquiring card information of all non-contact IC cards 2 stored in the non-contact IC card storage device 1.
First, when the non-contact IC card 2 is inserted into the non-contact IC card storage device 1, the switch 108 is turned on, the card information acquisition process starts, and the user is in the process of acquiring card information in step S10. LED 3 for notifying is turned on. Next, in step S11, the antenna switching means 126 is set so that the antenna B127 for communicating with the non-contact IC card 2 can communicate. In step S12, a card information request is inserted into the slot b4 through the antenna B127 selected by the data processing means 122, the modulation means 123, the transmission driver 124, and the antenna switching means 126 in order to obtain card information. To the contactless IC card 2 that has been made. If the response including the card information of the non-contact IC card 2 is received via the antenna B127, the demodulation unit 125, and the data processing unit 122 selected by the antenna switching unit 126 in step S13, the process proceeds to step S14. The card type data included in the response, the response data used for communication, etc. are stored in the card information table together with the antenna identification information, and the process proceeds to step S15. If the response from the non-contact IC card 2 is not received in step S13, it is determined that the non-contact IC card 2 does not exist in the slot b4, and the process proceeds to step S18, and the card information corresponding to the antenna B127 is stored in the card information table. And proceed to the process of step S15.

  In step S15, it is determined whether or not a card information request has been made to each contactless IC card 2 stored in the slot b4, slot c5, and slot d6 corresponding to the antenna B127, antenna C128, and antenna D129. If the card information request is made for all the non-contact IC cards 2 in the slots b4 to d6 (Yes), the process proceeds to step S16, and all the non-contact IC cards 2 in the slots b4 to d6 are requested. If no card information request has been made (No), the process returns to step S11, switches to a different antenna, and repeats the processes of steps S11, S12, S13, S14, and S18.

  When the process proceeds from step S15 to step S16, in step S16, the LED 3 is turned off to notify the user that the card information acquisition process is completed, and in step S17, the power supply from the battery power source 107 is stopped, The information acquisition process ends.

  Here, even if the user thinks that three non-contact IC cards are set in the non-contact IC card storage device 1, when only two cards are actually set, the user and the non-contact IC card storage device Discrepancy in the recognition of the number of cards. In order to prevent this deviation, for example, a means for notifying the user of the number of cards by repeatedly turning on / off the LED 3 as many times as the number of set cards may be provided after the step S16.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of a card information table acquired by the card information acquisition process shown in FIG. The card information acquired by using the antenna B127 is stored in the line of the antenna identification information B in which data indicating the card type issued by the card operator A and response data used in communication are stored. Is done. Similarly, the card information acquired using the antenna C128 is stored and stored in the row of the antenna identification information C in which data indicating the card type issued by the card business operator B and response data are stored. The same applies to the card information acquired using the antenna D129.

  Since the card information table is stored in the non-volatile memory 130, the memory is not cleared even if power is not supplied, and is stored unless information is deleted from the table.

Next, an operation process of the non-contact IC card storage device 1 when the user presents the non-contact IC card storage device 1 to the card R / W device by a settlement process or the like will be described with reference to FIG.
When the non-contact IC card storage device 1 is presented to the card R / W device, a card selection process is performed in which a card that communicates with the card R / W device is selected from the plurality of non-contact IC cards 2.

  First, in step S100, the non-contact IC card storage device 1 waits for a card capture command from the card R / W device. The card capture command transmitted by the card R / W device is transmitted to the CPU 109 via the antenna A100, the demodulation unit 103, and the data processing unit 104 of the non-contact IC card storage device 1, and is stored in the nonvolatile memory 130 in step S101. The card information table is searched. This search is to search for a non-contact IC card 2 that matches the card type data in the card capture command message.

  In step S102, if there is a non-contact IC card 2 corresponding to the card capture command in the card information table (Yes), the process proceeds to step S103, and the antenna corresponding to the non-contact IC card 2 is changed to an antenna switching means. In step S104, the response data in the table is set as a card capture response from the non-contact IC card 2 via the data processing means 104, the modulation means 102, the transmission driver 101, and the antenna A100. Transmit to R / W device.

  However, in step S102, when there are a plurality of non-contact IC cards 2 in the card information table that match the card type data in the card capture command message, that is, when there are two or more cards of the same card operator, A card capture response of a card with a higher priority is transmitted to the card R / W device based on a preset priority. As a method for setting the priority, a selection switch is provided on the surface of the non-contact IC card storage device 1 so that the user can set the priority by the switch, or a card is inserted in the slots (slots b4 to d6). There is a method of setting priorities in the order of insertion, and any method can be used as long as it is feasible.

  The card capture response data transmitted in step S104 is received by the card R / W device, and the card R / W device receives the next card command (for example, mutual authentication command, information read command in the card, information write command to the card). Etc.) to the non-contact IC card 2. In step S105, when the non-contact IC card storage device 1 receives the card command, in step S106, the card command is directly transmitted to the corresponding non-contact IC card 2 via the antenna set in S103. In step S107, a card response from the non-contact IC card 2 is received. The received card response is transmitted to the card R / W device in step S108, and the process proceeds to step S105.

  As described above, when the non-contact IC card storage device 1 is presented to the card R / W device, which non-contact IC card 2 is to be communicated with is selected (step S100 to step S104), and then step S105 to step S108. By repeating the above processes, the non-contact IC card storage device 1 mediates communication between the non-contact IC card 2 and the card R / W device. As a result, the user physically presents a plurality of non-contact IC cards 2 to the card R / W device at the same time, but with one mutual authentication command, card data read command, data write command to the card, etc. This can be performed on the non-contact IC card 2.

  As mentioned above, although the Example of the non-contact IC card storage apparatus of this invention was described in detail, this invention is not limited to what was described above. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the card storage device having three slots into which the non-contact IC card can be inserted is shown. However, the number of slots can be increased by the same method so that more cards can be stored. Good. In the above-described embodiment, the card case-like storage device is shown and described. However, it is easy to realize the same function in a bag or a wallet that can store a card. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the above description, and it goes without saying that various configurations or shapes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The non-contact IC card storage device of the present invention is a non-contact IC card storage device capable of storing a plurality of non-contact IC cards, and acquires card information of each non-contact IC card stored in the storage device. Means (realized by the program recorded in the ROM 120 being executed by the CPU 109. The processing flow is shown in FIG. 5), and means for storing the obtained plurality of card information (stored in the non-volatile memory 130). When the card capture command is received from the non-contact IC card reader / writer device, the corresponding non-contact IC card is retrieved from the stored card information, and the non-contact IC card is the non-contact IC card. Means for setting the antenna so that it can communicate with the reader / writer device (a program recorded in the ROM 120 is stored in the CPU 109). . Processing flow is implemented by being row is characterized by comprising Figure 6.) and, the.

  As a result, even if a plurality of non-contact IC cards are presented to the card R / W device at the same time, the communication between one non-contact IC card and the card R / W device can be realized, so that stable communication can be realized In addition, since a plurality of non-contact IC cards are not detected by the card R / W device at the same time, it is possible to prevent interruption of the settlement process. Further, since the user does not need to select a use card for payment processing or the like, congestion in the vicinity of the ticket gate of the station or the payment processing terminal device is not caused.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the non-contact IC card storage apparatus which is an Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the side view of a non-contact IC card storage apparatus seen from the viewpoint a of FIG. It is a figure which shows the internal structure of the non-contact IC card storage apparatus which is an Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the processing flow of the non-contact IC card storage apparatus which is an Example of this invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of “card information acquisition processing (S2)” in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a detailed flow of “card selection processing (S3)” in FIG. 4; It is a figure which shows an example of a card information table.

Explanation of symbols

1 Non-contact IC card storage device 2 Non-contact IC card 3 LED
4 slots b
5 slot c
6 Slot d
7 Shield plate 100 Antenna A
101 Transmission Driver 102 Modulation Unit 103 Demodulation Unit 104 Data Processing Unit 105 Power Generation Unit 106 Power Supply Unit 107 Battery Power Supply 108 Switch 109 CPU
120 ROM
121 RAM
122 Data processing means 123 Modulation means 124 Transmission driver 125 Demodulation means 126 Antenna switching means 127 Antenna B
128 Antenna C
129 Antenna D
130 Nonvolatile memory

Claims (5)

A non-contact IC card storage device capable of storing a plurality of non-contact IC cards,
Means for obtaining card information of each contactless IC card stored in the contactless IC card storage device;
Means for storing the obtained plurality of card information;
When a card capture command is received from the non-contact IC card reader / writer device, a non-contact IC card corresponding to the card capture command is searched from the stored card information, and the non-contact IC card is the non-contact IC card reader / writer. Means for setting the antenna to be able to communicate with the device;
A non-contact IC card storage device comprising:   2. The card information includes a card carrier type and antenna identification information indicating which antenna is used for communication among antennas prepared for each contactless IC card. The non-contact IC card storage device described.   3. The non-contact IC card storage device according to claim 2, wherein a shielding plate is arranged around an antenna prepared for each non-contact IC card to prevent interference between the antennas.   When there are a plurality of cards indicating the same card business operator among the stored card information of the plurality of non-contact IC cards, the non-contact corresponding to the card capture command based on a preset priority order The non-contact IC card storage device according to claim 2, wherein an IC card is determined. A non-contact IC card storage device capable of storing a plurality of non-contact IC cards,
The non-contact IC card storage device
A first antenna used for communication between the non-contact IC card storage device and the non-contact IC card reader / writer device is provided on each of the uppermost and lowermost cards of the non-contact IC card storage device;
A combination of a slot capable of storing one non-contact IC card, a non-contact IC card stored in the slot, and a second antenna used for communication with the non-contact IC card storage device is partitioned by a shielding plate. It has multiple,
Card information acquisition means for acquiring card information of each contactless IC card stored in the contactless IC card storage device;
Card information storage means for storing and storing the acquired card information in a table;
When a card capture command is received from the non-contact IC card reader / writer device via the first antenna during a settlement process or the like, the card information storage means is searched and the non-contact IC corresponding to the card capture command is retrieved. Antenna switching means for determining a card and setting the second antenna corresponding to the determined non-contact IC card in a communicable state;
A non-contact IC card storage device comprising: