JP2010097255A - Ic card reader and ic card reading method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC card reader and IC card reading method in a versatile manner and for efficiently applying automatic changing processing of the IC card communication method for shortening the processing time, increasing the processing speed, and simultaneously improving the processing accuracy to a non-contact IC card and a contact IC card. <P>SOLUTION: In the IC card reader including at least an image reading section and a control section, the control section reads image data of the IC card and changes the IC card communication method based on the read image data by controlling the image reading section. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC card reading device and an IC card reading method.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, data carrier systems that can communicate wirelessly in a non-contact manner from a non-contact information storage medium (for example, a non-contact type IC card) incorporating an IC have been widely introduced.

  Here, in the non-contact type IC card, since the communication method differs depending on the card type, a technology for switching the communication method by specifying the card when performing communication has been reported.

  For example, the card reader described in Patent Document 1 can be used in a case where the communication method can be determined in advance so that a single device can handle a plurality of types of communication methods performed with a non-contact type IC card. When the communication method is specified on the host device (host) side, but the communication method cannot be determined in advance, radio signals are sequentially switched and transmitted to the RFID card to be communicated to identify the communication type that has responded. ing.

  Further, the entrance / exit management device described in Patent Document 2 acquires a face image of a person who has an IC card with a camera, and after authentication determination of the acquired face image, the card type of the IC card corresponding to the face image data The electronic lock is controlled by reading the data of the IC card with a card reader according to the communication method corresponding to the card type.

JP 2003-016394 A JP 2007-164562 A

  However, in the prior art (Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, etc.), although it is possible to communicate with each card by switching to the communication method corresponding to each card type, the time, processing speed, processing accuracy required for the communication method switching processing, There were problems in efficiency and versatility.

  Specifically, in the IC card reader described in Patent Document 1, when the communication method supported by the IC card to be communicated can be determined in advance, switching is performed on the higher-level device (host) side of the IC card reader. In this case, before the user causes the IC card reader to read the IC card data, it is necessary to specify the IC card communication method via the input unit or the like of the host device. there were. For this reason, it takes time to specify the communication method, and there is a problem in the time and efficiency required for the reading process.

  Further, in the IC card reader described in Patent Document 1, when the communication method corresponding to the IC card to be communicated cannot be determined in advance, a plurality of transmission / reception methods are sequentially switched on the IC card reader side to the IC card. It was necessary to recognize the communication type of the IC card that attempted communication and returned a response. At this time, communication is attempted by sequentially switching to a plurality of transmission / reception methods, and a time lag occurs until a response is detected and the communication type of the IC card to be communicated is recognized. There were problems in speed and efficiency.

  Furthermore, in the IC card reader described in Patent Document 1, the communication type may not be compatible even if communication with the IC card is attempted by sequentially switching the transmission / reception method. There was a problem in versatility that it was impossible.

  Moreover, in the entrance / exit management apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the image data of the entrance / exit person imaged by the camera and the card number of the IC card possessed by the entrance / exit person read by the card reader unit are used. Based on the card type and card data correspondence table of the IC card corresponding to pre-registered entrance / exit face image data, the card type is specified, and the card type corresponding to the specified card type is determined. The card data reading operation of the IC card is performed in accordance with the communication method. At this time, since a complex image analysis is required for the face image, the processing load of the apparatus is heavy, and the time required for the card type specifying process However, there were problems in processing speed and processing accuracy.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An automatic switching process for an IC card communication method, which improves processing accuracy by speeding up processing and reducing processing time, An object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reading apparatus and an IC card reading method that can be efficiently and universally executed for a contact type IC card.

  In order to achieve such an object, the IC card reading device of the present invention is an IC card reading device including at least an image reading unit and a control unit, and the control unit controls the image reading unit. The image reading control means for reading the image data of the IC card, and the communication method switching means for switching the communication method of the IC card based on the image data read by the image reading control means. It is characterized by.

  The IC card reader according to the present invention is the above-described IC card reader, wherein the IC card reader further includes a storage unit, and the storage unit includes characteristic information of the IC card, the communication method, and / or Or feature information storage means for storing the communication control program in association with each other, and the control section stores the feature information stored in the feature information storage means from the image data read by the image reading control means. Further comprising feature information extraction means for extracting the feature information of the IC card corresponding to the IC card, wherein the communication system switching means is associated with the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction means. And switching to the communication control program.

  Also, the IC card reader of the present invention is the IC card reader described above, wherein the storage unit stores character information of the IC card in association with the communication method and / or the communication control program. An information storage unit, and the control unit performs an OCR process on the image data read by the image reading control unit to extract the character information of the IC card, The communication method switching means compares at least a part of the character information extracted by the character information extraction means with the character information stored in the character information storage means. It is determined whether or not the character information matches, and if it is determined that they match, the communication method of the IC card associated with the matched feature information And / or wherein the switching to the communication control program.

  The IC card reader of the present invention is the above-described IC card reader, wherein the IC card reader further includes a communication unit that communicates with the IC card, and the control unit is connected to the communication method switching means. Communication control means for communicating with the IC card via the communication unit in accordance with the communication method switched and / or the communication control program.

  The IC card reader according to the present invention is the above-described IC card reader, wherein the control unit acquires card data from the IC card by the communication control unit, and the card data acquisition unit. Card data verification means for verifying the card data by comparing the card data acquired in step 1 and at least a part of the character information extracted by the character information extraction means. It is characterized by that.

  The IC card reading method is an IC card reading method that is executed in an IC card reading device that includes at least an image reading unit and a control unit, and controls the image reading unit that is executed in the control unit. Thus, an image reading control step for reading the image data of the IC card, and a communication method switching step for switching the communication method of the IC card based on the image data read in the image reading control step. It is characterized by.

  The IC card reading method of the present invention is the IC card reading method described above, wherein the IC card reading device further includes a storage unit, and the storage unit includes feature information of the IC card and the communication method. And / or feature information storage means for storing the communication control program in association with each other, and the feature information storage means from the image data read in the image reading control step executed in the control unit. A feature information extraction step for extracting the feature information of the IC card corresponding to the feature information stored in the feature information, and in the communication method switching step, the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step. Switching to the communication method and / or the communication control program of the associated IC card is characterized.

  The IC card reading method of the present invention is the IC card reading method described above, wherein the storage unit stores character information of the IC card in association with the communication method and / or the communication control program. Information storage means, and the character information of the IC card is extracted by performing OCR processing on the image data read in the image reading control step executed in the control unit. A character information extracting step, wherein at least a part of the character information extracted in the character information extracting step is compared with the character information stored in the character information storage means in the communication method switching step. To determine whether or not the character information matches. And it switches to the IC card the communication method and / or the communication control program associated with.

  Further, the IC card reading method of the present invention is the IC card reading method described above, wherein the IC card reading device further includes a communication unit that communicates with the IC card, and is executed in the control unit. It further includes a communication control step of communicating with the IC card via the communication unit in accordance with the communication method switched in the communication method switching step and / or the communication control program.

  Further, the IC card reading method of the present invention is the above-described IC card reading method, wherein the card data acquisition step of acquiring card data from the IC card by the communication control step executed in the control unit, and the card A card data verification step for verifying the card data by comparing the card data acquired in the data acquisition step with at least a part of the character information extracted in the character information extraction step; It is further characterized by including.

  According to the present invention, by controlling the image reading unit, the image data of the IC card is read, and the communication method of the IC card is switched based on the read image data. Time can be shortened and processing accuracy can be improved at the same time. As a result, the present invention has an effect that an efficient automatic switching of the communication method of the IC card can be realized. Specifically, according to the present invention, the communication method of the IC card is automatically switched based on the image data of the IC card, and the communication method of the card is designated in advance as in the prior art (Patent Document 1, etc.). In addition, there is no process of attempting to communicate with a card using a plurality of communication methods and switching to a communication method that has responded, so that the processing can be speeded up and the processing time can be shortened. Play. Further, according to the present invention, the card type can be easily specified from the card image by image analysis such as pattern recognition or OCR processing without performing complicated image analysis on the face data or the like as in the prior art (Patent Document 2 etc.). As a result, the processing time can be shortened and the processing accuracy can be improved.

  Further, according to the present invention, the feature information of the IC card and the communication method and / or the communication control program are stored in the storage unit in association with each other, and the feature information stored in the storage unit is corresponded from the read image data. Since the feature information of the IC card is extracted and the communication method is switched to the communication method and / or communication control program of the IC card associated with the extracted feature information in the communication method switching, for example, as an example of comparison of feature information, By comparing the shape of the mark indicating the card type of the IC card extracted from the image data with the shape of the mark indicating the card type of the IC card registered in advance in the storage unit, the shapes of the marks match each other. Whether or not the card type of the IC card can be specified. As a result, the present invention has an effect that the communication method and / or communication control program corresponding to the card type of the specified IC card can be automatically switched. Further, according to the present invention, even if the IC card to be communicated is a contact IC card and the communication type of the non-contact IC card is not compatible, the card type can be specified from the feature information of the image data of the card. For example, the communication control program suitable for the contact IC card is activated, and the reader / writer terminal of the IC card reader 100 and the contact IC card can be directly contacted to perform communication.

  Further, according to the present invention, the character information of the IC card and the communication method and / or the communication control program are stored in the storage unit in association with each other, and the read image data is subjected to OCR processing. Character information is extracted, and in communication system switching, at least a part of the extracted character information is compared with the character information stored in the storage unit to determine whether the character information matches. If it is determined that they match, the IC card communication method and / or communication control program associated with the matched feature information is switched. For example, as an example of character information comparison, image data is subjected to OCR processing. By comparing the card number of the extracted IC card with the card number of the IC card registered in advance in the storage unit, the card No. each other to determine whether or not match, it is possible to identify the card type of the IC card. As a result, the present invention has an effect that the communication method and / or communication control program corresponding to the card type of the specified IC card can be automatically switched. Further, the present invention provides a card from character information extracted from the image data of the card by OCR processing even when the IC card to be communicated is a contact IC card and the communication type of the non-contact IC card is not compatible. Since the species can be specified, for example, a communication control program suitable for the contact IC card can be activated to communicate by directly contacting the reader / writer terminal of the IC card reader 100 and the contact IC card. There is an effect.

  Further, according to the present invention, since communication is performed with the IC card via the communication unit in accordance with the switched communication method and / or communication control program, the communication method automatically switched without the user specifying the communication method. And / or it communicates with an IC card with a communication control program, and there exists an effect that it can communicate so that reading, writing, etc. of card data may be performed.

  According to the present invention, the card data is acquired from the IC card, and the card data is verified by comparing the acquired card data with at least a part of the extracted character information. By comparing the card number of the card data with the card number extracted from the image data, it can be determined whether or not they match. As a result, the present invention can verify whether the card itself has been tampered with or tampered with the card data, so that security can be improved and the data of the IC card can be reliably read with high accuracy.

  Embodiments of an IC card reading device, an IC card reading method, and a program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[Configuration of IC Card Reader 100]
First, the configuration of the IC card reader 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a physical configuration of an IC card reader 100 to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the logical configuration of the IC card reader 100 to which the present invention is applied, and conceptually shows only the portion related to the present invention in the configuration.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the IC card reading device 100 stores an image reading unit 116 that reads image data of the IC card 10 that is a communication target, and stores the image data in the storage unit 106 based on the image data read by the image reading unit 116. The control unit 102 that switches the communication method of the IC card 10 by referring to the received data and the communication unit 120 that communicates with the IC card 10 according to this communication method and transmits / receives card data are configured.

  Hereinafter, each configuration of the IC card reader 100 of FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the IC card reader 100 schematically includes a control unit 102, a communication control interface unit 104, a storage unit 106, an input / output control interface unit 108, an image reading unit 116, and a communication unit 120. Configured. Here, the control unit 102 is a CPU or the like that comprehensively controls the entire IC card reader 100. The communication control interface unit 104 is an interface connected to the communication unit 120 that communicates with the IC card 10, and the input / output control interface unit 108 is connected to the image reading unit 116 that reads image data of the IC card 10. Interface. The storage unit 106 is a device that stores various databases and tables. Each unit of the IC card reader 100 is connected to be communicable via an arbitrary communication path.

  Here, in FIG. 2, the IC card 10 is a card type information storage medium such as a non-contact type IC card (RFID card or the like) and a contact IC card (magnetic card or the like), and communicates with the IC card reader 100. It has a function of transmitting and receiving data via the unit 120.

  Further, the non-contact type IC card has a coil or IC chip that functions as an antenna inside the card, and the IC card 10 is configured by the user as a sense coil that constitutes the communication unit 120 of the IC card reader 100. When it is deceived by a magnetic field generated from a (detection coil) or the like, it has a function of wirelessly exchanging communication data without contact. As an example of a non-contact type IC card, out of three general communication methods, Type A has an IC telephone card of NTT (company name), Type B has a Basic Resident Registration Number Card (Juki Card), and Felica has a Sucia (Registered trademark) and Edy (registered trademark).

  When the IC card reader 100 includes a reader / writer terminal as the communication unit 120, the contact type IC card includes a module terminal (IC module) that comes into contact with the reader / writer terminal. It has a function of transmitting and receiving data when a contact type IC card having a terminal and a reader / writer terminal on the IC card reader 100 side are brought into direct contact.

  Further, the IC card 10 includes, for example, a mark that can specify the card type, a design pattern, a card number, and the like. Description items such as marks are extracted as feature information (for example, marks, design patterns, etc.) by a feature information extraction unit 102c described later based on the image data of the IC card 10 read by the image reading unit 116. In addition, it is extracted as character information (for example, a card number) by a character information extraction unit 102d described later.

  In FIG. 2, an image reading unit 116 is an optical reading device having a scanner function built in the IC card reading device 100, and in this embodiment, image data of the IC card 10 to be communicated is transferred to the control unit 102. Has a function of reading in accordance with the control.

  In FIG. 2, the communication control interface unit 104 performs communication control between the communication unit 120 and the IC card 10. In other words, the communication control interface unit 104 has a function of communicating data with the IC card 10 to be communicated wirelessly. Here, in the present embodiment, the IC card reader 100 may include a reader / writer terminal that can handle a contact IC card having a module terminal as the communication unit 120. In this case, the communication control interface unit 104 may perform communication control between the reader / writer terminal and the contact IC card.

  In FIG. 2, the input / output control interface unit 108 controls the image reading unit 116 and the like. Here, in the present embodiment, the IC card reader 100 also includes an input unit (for example, a touch panel) for inputting various setting information (for example, feature information and character information stored in the storage unit 106). In addition, an output unit (for example, a small display) that outputs various setting information may be provided. In this case, the input / output control interface unit 108 may control the input unit and the output unit. In the present embodiment, the IC card reader 100 may be controlled by being connected to a computer having an input unit (for example, a keyboard and a mouse) and an output unit (for example, a display and a monitor). In this case, the input / output control interface may control input / output between the computer and the IC card reading control apparatus 100.

  In FIG. 2, various databases and tables (such as the feature information table 106a and the character information table 106b) stored in the storage unit 106 are storage means such as a fixed disk device. For example, the storage unit 106 stores various programs, tables, files, databases, and the like used for various processes.

  Among these constituent elements of the storage unit 106, the feature information table 106a is a feature information storage unit that stores the feature information of the IC card 10 in association with the communication method and / or the communication control program. Furthermore, the feature information table 106a may further store the card type of the IC card 10 in association with each other. Here, the feature information is image data or coordinates including a symbol (for example, a card-specific mark shape) or a figure (for example, a card-specific design pattern) for identifying the card type of the IC card 10 to be communicated. Information such as numerical values. The communication system is a communication protocol necessary for communication with the IC card 10, and this communication system varies depending on the card type and is generally classified into three types: Type A, Type B, and Felica. The communication control program is an application suitable for each communication method, and in the present embodiment, the feature information table 106a is an appropriate communication that can respectively correspond to the communication of the non-contact type IC card and the contact type IC card. A control program is stored. As an example, the feature information table 106a includes feature information such as a symbol or a figure specifying the card type of the IC card 10, which is handwritten by a user or created in advance using a PC or the like, and communication corresponding to the card type. The method and / or the communication control program may be stored in association with each other. The feature information table 106a may store feature information extracted by a feature information extraction unit 102c described later in association with a communication method and / or a communication control program.

  The character information table 106b is a character information storage unit that stores character information of the IC card 10 in association with a communication method and / or a communication control program. Further, the character information table 106b may store the card type of the IC card 10 in association with each other. Here, the character information is a number for identifying the card type of the IC card 10 to be communicated (for example, a card number for specifying the card type), a character (for example, a description for specifying the card type (Edy (registered trademark) ), Felica (registered trademark, etc.))) and the like. The communication method and communication control program are the same as described above. As an example, the character information table 106b corresponds to character information such as numerical values and characters specifying the card type of the IC card 10 registered in advance by a user using a PC or the like via an input unit or the like. The communication method and / or communication control program may be stored in association with each other. The character information table 106a may store character information extracted by a character information extraction unit 102d described later in association with a communication method and / or a communication control program.

  In FIG. 2, the control unit 102 has an internal memory for storing a control program such as an OS (Operating System), a program defining various processing procedures, and necessary data. And the control part 102 performs the information processing for performing various processes by these programs. The control unit 102 has an image reading control unit 102a, a communication method switching unit 102b, a feature information extraction unit 102c, a character information extraction unit 102d, a communication control unit 102e, a card data acquisition unit 102f, and a card data verification in terms of functional concept. The unit 102g is provided.

  Among these, the image reading control unit 102 a is an image reading control unit that reads the image data of the IC card 10 by controlling the image reading unit 116.

  The communication system switching unit 102b is a communication system switching unit that switches the communication system of the IC card 10 based on the image data read by the image reading control unit 102a.

  Here, the communication method switching unit 102b may switch to the communication method and / or communication control program of the IC card 10 associated with the feature information extracted by the feature information extraction unit 102c described later.

  Further, the communication system switching unit 102b compares at least a part of the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit 102d described later with the character information stored in the character information table 106b, so that the character information can be compared. May be switched to the communication method and / or communication control program of the IC card 10 associated with the matched feature information.

  The feature information extraction unit 102c is a feature information extraction unit that extracts the feature information of the IC card 10 corresponding to the feature information stored in the feature information table 106a from the image data read by the image reading control unit 102a. .

  The character information extraction unit 102d is character information extraction means for extracting character information of the IC card 10 by performing OCR processing on the image data read by the image reading control unit 102a.

  The communication control unit 102e is a communication control unit that communicates with the IC card 10 via the communication unit 120 in accordance with the communication method and / or communication control program switched by the communication method switching unit 102b.

  The card data acquisition unit 102f is a card data acquisition unit that acquires card data from the IC card 10 by the communication control unit 102e.

  Further, the card data verification unit 102g compares the card data acquired by the card data acquisition unit 102f with at least a part of the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit 102d, thereby obtaining the card data. This is card data verification means for verification.

  This is the end of the description of the configuration of the IC card reader 100.

[Process of IC card reader 100]
Next, an example of processing of the IC card reader 100 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the IC card reader 100 in the present embodiment.

  First, the image reading control unit 102a uses a scanner function (image reading unit 116) to perform a card image (image data) on the communication target IC card 10 set on the IC card reading device 100 by the user. Is acquired (step SA-1). That is, the image reading control unit 102 a reads the image data of the IC card 10 by controlling the image reading unit 116.

  Then, the feature information extraction unit 102c performs image analysis on the card image data acquired by the processing of the image reading control unit 102a in Step SA-1 (Step SA-2). That is, the feature information extraction unit 102c extracts the feature information of the IC card 10 corresponding to the feature information stored in the feature information table 106a from the image data read by the processing of the image reading control unit 102a.

  Then, the communication method switching unit 102b uses the card data image-analyzed by the processing of the feature information extraction unit 102c in step SA-2, and the data and features (for example, the card type are registered in advance in the feature information table 106a). The shape of the mark shown) is compared (step SA-3). That is, the communication method switching unit 102b extracts the feature information (for example, the mark shape indicating the card type) extracted by the processing of the feature information extraction unit 102c and the feature information (for example, the card type) stored in the feature information table 106a. To determine whether or not the pieces of feature information match each other.

  Then, as a result of comparing the features of the card data by the processing of the communication method switching unit 102b in Step SA-3, the control unit 102 determines that there is corresponding data in the feature information table 106a (Step SA-3). : “There is a target”), the necessity of the OCR processing is determined according to the degree of coincidence between the comparison data and the like (step SA-4). For example, the control unit 102 has a general design of the card read in step SA-1, and the card image has few features even if the image is analyzed in step SA-2. Only the data comparison in step SA-3 is performed. If it is not possible to clearly determine that the data matches the registered data, it is determined that it is necessary to perform OCR processing in order to specify the card type by reading the character information such as the card number from the card image.

  On the other hand, as a result of comparing the features of the card data by the processing of the communication method switching unit 102b in Step SA-3, the control unit 102 determines that there is no corresponding data in the feature information table 106a (Step SA-3). : “No target”), the process is terminated.

  When the character information extraction unit 102d determines in step SA-4 that the OCR process is necessary by the process of the control unit 102 (step SA-4: “necessary”), the image is extracted in step SA-1. An OCR process is performed on a specific part (for example, a part where a card number is written) of the card image acquired by the process of the reading control unit 102a (step SA-5). That is, the character information extraction unit 102d extracts character information of the IC card 10 by performing OCR processing on the image data read by the processing of the image reading control unit 102a.

  Then, the communication system switching unit 102b refers to the data registered in advance in the storage unit 106 based on the character information (card number and the like) extracted by the OCR process of the character information extraction unit 102d in step SA-5. Specify the card type. (Step SA-6). That is, the communication system switching unit 102b receives at least part of the character information (card number and the like) extracted by the processing of the character information extraction unit 102d in step SA-5 and the character information (cards) stored in the character information table 106b. Number etc.), the card | curd type with which the said character information corresponded is specified.

  Returning to step SA-4, if the communication system switching unit 102b determines in step SA-4 that there is no need for OCR processing by the processing of the control unit 102 (step SA-4: “not required”), step Based on the result of determining that there is corresponding data in the feature information table 106a as a result of comparing the features of the card data by the processing of the communication method switching unit 102b in step SA-3 without performing the OCR processing in SA-5. The card type is specified with reference to data registered in the storage unit 106 in advance. (Step SA-6). That is, the communication system switching unit 102b compares the feature information extracted by the process of the feature information extraction unit 102c in step SA-3 with the feature information stored in the feature information table 106a, thereby comparing the feature information. Identify card types that match.

  Then, the communication system switching unit 102b switches to an application (communication control program or the like) corresponding to the card type specified in Step SA-6 (Step SA-7). That is, when specifying the card type in step SA-6, the communication method switching unit 102b calls and switches the communication control program of the IC card 10 associated with the character information determined to match from the character information table 106b. . Further, when specifying the card type in step SA-6, the communication system switching unit 102b stores the communication control program of the IC card 10 associated with the character information determined to match in step SA-3 as the character information table. It may be switched by calling from 106b.

  Then, the communication system switching unit 102b activates the communication control program switched in step SA-7 and sets the communication system of the IC card 10 (step SA-8). That is, the communication system switching unit 102b uses the communication control program switched in step SA-7 to call up and switch the communication system of the IC card 10 associated with the character information from the character information table 106b. Further, the communication method switching unit 102b may call and switch the communication method of the IC card 10 associated with the character information from the character information table 106b using the communication control program switched in step SA-7.

  Then, the communication control unit 102e communicates with the IC card 10 via the communication unit 120 according to the communication method switched by the processing of the communication method switching unit 102b in Step SA-8, and the card data acquisition unit 102f performs communication control. Card data is acquired from the IC card 10 by the processing of the unit 102e (step SA-9).

  Then, after acquiring the card data by the processing of the card data acquisition unit 102f in step SA-9, the control unit 102 performs step SA- as verification of the acquired card data according to the communication status, user input, and the like. 1 (for example, an image of a part describing a card number or a mark indicating the card type) and the card data (for example, a card number or a card type) of the IC card 10 acquired in step SA-9. Is determined to be compared (step SA-10).

  When the card data verification unit 102g determines in step SA-10 that the card data needs to be verified by the processing of the control unit 102 (step SA-10: “necessary”), the card data acquisition unit 102f. By comparing the card data (for example, card number) acquired by the above process with at least a part of the character information (for example, card number) extracted by the process of the character information extracting unit 102d, the two match. It is determined whether or not the card itself has been crafted or the card data has been tampered with (step SA-11).

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step SA-10 that the card data need not be verified by the processing of the control unit 102 (step SA-10: “not required”), the data verification is performed in step SA-11. The process is terminated as it is.

  This is the end of the description of the processing of the IC card reader 100.

[Other embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be applied to various different embodiments within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It may be implemented.

  For example, in the present embodiment, the IC card reader 100 is mainly described as a reader. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the IC card reader 100 may be a reader / writer that also writes to the IC card 10. Further, in the present embodiment, the IC card 10 has been mainly described as an example of a non-contact type IC card that communicates via the communication unit 120 that functions as a transmission / reception antenna configured by a coil, an IC chip, or the like. The IC card reader 100 may include a reader / writer terminal as the communication unit 120 so that the reader / writer terminal and the contact IC card are in direct contact to perform communication. May be.

  In addition, among the processes described in the embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being automatically performed can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or a part can be automatically performed by a known method.

  In addition, unless otherwise specified, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, information including registration data for each processing, parameters such as search conditions, screen examples, and database configurations shown in the above documents and drawings Can be changed arbitrarily.

  In addition, regarding the IC card reader 100, each illustrated component is functionally conceptual and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated.

  For example, the processing functions provided in each device of the IC card reading device 100, in particular, the processing functions performed by the control unit 102, all or any part thereof are interpreted by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the CPU. It may be realized by a program to be executed, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic. The program is recorded on a recording medium to be described later, and is mechanically read by the IC card reader 100 as necessary. In other words, the storage unit 106 such as ROM or HD stores a computer program for performing various processes by giving instructions to the CPU in cooperation with an OS (Operating System). This computer program is executed by being loaded into the RAM, and constitutes the control unit 10 in cooperation with the CPU.

  The computer program may be stored in an application program server connected to the IC card reader 100 via an arbitrary network, and may be downloaded in whole or in part as necessary. It is.

  The program according to the present invention can also be stored in a computer-readable recording medium. Here, the “recording medium” refers to any “portable physical medium” such as a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, or a LAN, WAN, or Internet. It includes a “communication medium” that holds the program in a short period of time, such as a communication line or a carrier wave when the program is transmitted via a network represented by

  The “program” is a data processing method described in an arbitrary language or description method, and may be in any format such as source code or binary code. The “program” is not necessarily limited to a single configuration, but is distributed in the form of a plurality of modules and libraries, or in cooperation with a separate program represented by an OS (Operating System). Including those that achieve the function. Note that a well-known configuration and procedure can be used for a specific configuration for reading a recording medium, a reading procedure, an installation procedure after reading, and the like in each device described in the embodiment.

  Various databases and the like (feature information table 106a and character information table 106g, etc.) stored in the storage unit 106 are storage means such as a memory device such as RAM and ROM, a fixed disk device such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, and an optical disk. Various programs, tables, databases, files, etc. used for various processes and website provision are stored.

  Further, the IC card reader 100 is connected to an information processing apparatus such as a known personal computer or workstation, and software (including a program, data, etc.) for realizing the method of the present invention is mounted on the information processing apparatus. May be realized.

  Furthermore, the specific form of distribution / integration of the devices is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part of them may be functional or physical in arbitrary units according to various additions or according to functional loads. Can be distributed and integrated.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the automatic switching processing of the IC card communication method, which shortens the processing time, speeds up the processing, and at the same time improves the processing accuracy, Since it is possible to provide an IC card reader and IC card reading method that can be generally and efficiently executed on a card and a contact IC card, for example, an information storage medium (for example, a non-contact IC) containing an IC is provided. This is extremely useful in various fields such as information devices and information processing fields that support data carrier systems that can communicate with cards and contact IC cards).

It is a figure which shows an example of the physical structure of the IC card reader 100 with which this invention is applied. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a logical configuration of an IC card reader 100 to which the present invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows an example of a process of the IC card reader 100 in this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 IC card reader
102 Control unit
102a Image reading control unit
102b Communication system switching unit
102c Feature information extraction unit
102d Character information extraction unit
102e communication control unit
102f Card data acquisition unit
102g Card data verification unit
104 Communication control interface unit
106 Storage unit
106a Feature information table
106b Character information table
108 Input / output control interface
116 Image reading unit
120 communication unit 10 IC card

Claims (10)

An IC card reader having at least an image reading unit and a control unit,
The control unit
An image reading control means for reading the image data of the IC card by controlling the image reading unit;
A communication system switching unit that switches a communication system of the IC card based on the image data read by the image reading control unit;
An IC card reader, comprising: The IC card reader according to claim 1,
The IC card reader further includes a storage unit,
The storage unit
Feature information storage means for storing the feature information of the IC card in association with the communication method and / or communication control program;
With
The control unit
Feature information extraction means for extracting the feature information of the IC card corresponding to the feature information stored in the feature information storage means from the image data read by the image reading control means;
Further comprising
The communication method switching means is
An IC card reader characterized by switching to the communication method and / or the communication control program of the IC card associated with the feature information extracted by the feature information extracting means. In the IC card reader according to claim 2,
The storage unit
Character information storage means for storing character information of the IC card in association with the communication method and / or the communication control program;
Further comprising
The control unit
Character information extracting means for extracting the character information of the IC card by performing OCR processing on the image data read by the image reading control means;
Further comprising
The communication method switching means is
By comparing at least a part of the character information extracted by the character information extraction unit with the character information stored in the character information storage unit, it is determined whether or not the character information matches. When it is determined that they match, the IC card reader is switched to the communication method and / or the communication control program of the IC card associated with the matched feature information. In the IC card reader according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The IC card reader further includes a communication unit that communicates with the IC card,
The control unit
Communication control means for communicating with the IC card via the communication section in accordance with the communication method switched by the communication method switching means and / or the communication control program;
An IC card reader, further comprising: In the IC card reader according to claim 4,
The control unit
Card data acquisition means for acquiring card data from the IC card by the communication control means;
Card data verification means for verifying the card data by comparing the card data acquired by the card data acquisition means and at least a part of the character information extracted by the character information extraction means;
An IC card reader, further comprising: An IC card reading method executed in an IC card reading device including at least an image reading unit and a control unit,
Executed in the control unit,
An image reading control step for reading the image data of the IC card by controlling the image reading unit;
A communication method switching step for switching the communication method of the IC card based on the image data read in the image reading control step;
A method for reading an IC card, comprising: The IC card reading method according to claim 6,
The IC card reader further includes a storage unit,
The storage unit
Feature information storage means for storing the feature information of the IC card in association with the communication method and / or communication control program;
With
Executed in the control unit,
A feature information extracting step for extracting the feature information of the IC card corresponding to the feature information stored in the feature information storage means from the image data read in the image reading control step;
Further including
In the communication mode switching step,
An IC card reading method, wherein the communication method and / or the communication control program of the IC card associated with the feature information extracted in the feature information extraction step is switched. In the IC card reading method according to claim 7,
The storage unit
Character information storage means for storing character information of the IC card in association with the communication method and / or the communication control program;
Is further provided,
Executed in the control unit,
A character information extraction step of extracting the character information of the IC card by performing OCR processing on the image data read in the image reading control step;
Further including
In the communication mode switching step,
By comparing at least a part of the character information extracted in the character information extraction step with the character information stored in the character information storage means, it is determined whether or not the character information matches. When it is determined that they match, the IC card reading method is characterized by switching to the communication method and / or the communication control program of the IC card associated with the matched feature information. In the IC card reading method according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
The IC card reader further includes a communication unit that communicates with the IC card,
Executed in the control unit,
A communication control step of communicating with the IC card via the communication unit in accordance with the communication method and / or the communication control program switched in the communication method switching step;
An IC card reading method, further comprising: The IC card reading method according to claim 9, wherein
Executed in the control unit,
A card data acquisition step of acquiring card data from the IC card by the communication control step;
A card data verification step for verifying the card data by comparing the card data acquired in the card data acquisition step with at least a part of the character information extracted in the character information extraction step; ,
An IC card reading method, further comprising:

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