JP4253237B2 - Card issuing method and card issuing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a card issuing method and a card issuing apparatus for issuing an identification card on which identification information is printed.

  In recent years, identification cards with built-in IC chips are widely used as identification cards such as ID cards and driver's licenses. In such an identification card, identification information such as a name and a registration number is printed on the card surface, and various kinds of digitized identification information are stored in the IC chip. There is also provided an identification card in which a color face image is printed on the card surface as identification information, and at the same time, electronic data corresponding to the face image is stored in an IC chip. There is also provided an identification card that can write and read information to and from the IC chip in a contactless manner.

A card issuing device that issues an identification card as described above includes a base card supply unit that supplies a raw base card on which identification information is not printed or recorded, and a printing unit that prints identification information. After printing identification information such as images and characters on the surface of the base card supplied from the company, it is issued (for example, Patent Document 1). The identification card issued from the card issuing device is then sent to a reader / writer (hereinafter referred to as R / W) to write identification information to an IC chip built in the identification card and to read the written information. The verify check is performed. Thereby, an identification card on which desired identification information is printed and recorded is obtained.
JP-A-8-244386

  In the case of an identification card that requires security, information corresponding to information printed and printed on the card surface is written as electronic information on an IC chip and used as authentication data. Therefore, when image information such as a face image is used as identification information, the amount of information written to the IC chip is increased by several stages. Further, as the amount of information to be written increases, the probability of writing failure also increases. As described above, in the R / W, after the identification information is written into the IC chip, a verification check is performed, and when the writing fails, a retry process is performed. By performing such a verification check, retry processing, etc., the processing time for the IC chip also increases.

  The IC chip built in the identification card normally operates by receiving a signal from the R / W. Since the IC chip generates heat during operation, the temperature of the IC chip rises as the processing time in R / W increases. If the processing time in R / W is long, the IC chip may become a high temperature of 100 ° C. or higher. In such a case, in the identification card, the temperature difference between the area adjacent to the IC chip and the surrounding area becomes large, and a difference in thermal expansion occurs between these areas. Such a difference in thermal expansion becomes a factor that causes wrinkles and warpage on the card surface, and there is a risk that the image quality of images, characters, etc. printed on the card surface will deteriorate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a card issuing method and a card issuing apparatus that suppress variations in temperature in a card at the time of issuing and prevent deterioration of image quality.

  In order to achieve the above object, a card issuance method according to an embodiment of the present invention supplies a base card having a printing surface and a built-in IC chip, and provides identification information on the printing surface of the supplied base card. Printing, heating the base card on which the identification information is printed to a predetermined temperature, and writing the identification information to the IC chip built in the base card while maintaining the base card at the predetermined temperature And reading out.

  A card issuing device according to another aspect of the present invention includes a card supply unit that has a printing surface and supplies a base card with a built-in IC chip, and a printing surface of the base card supplied from the card supply unit. Identification information for a printing unit that prints identification information, a heating unit that heats the base card printed with the identification information to a predetermined temperature, and an IC chip built in the base card heated to the predetermined temperature And a reader / writer for writing and reading.

  According to the present invention, the identification information is written to and read from the IC chip while the base card is heated to a predetermined temperature, so that the temperature difference in the card during the writing and reading processing of the identification information is suppressed. It is possible to provide a card issuing method and a card issuing device capable of issuing an identification card having the identification information.

Hereinafter, a card issuing method and a card issuing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
First, an example of an identification card issued by the card issuing method and the card issuing device will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, an identification card 10 includes a base card 12 formed in a flat rectangular plate shape, an IC chip 14 built in the base card, and a loop antenna connected to the IC chip. 16.

  The base card 12 is formed by laminating a plurality of layers made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and has a length of 54 mm, a width of 85 mm, and a thickness of 0.76 mm, for example. The IC chip 14 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, a processor for cryptographic processing, and a communication circuit, and is formed in a size of about 5 mm × 4 mm, for example. The antenna 16 is formed in a size smaller than the base card, and is disposed along the periphery of the base card. As a result, the identification card 10 is configured as a wireless card or a non-contact card capable of transmitting and receiving information through the antenna 16 and wirelessly writing and reading information on the IC chip.

  One surface of the base card 12 constitutes a printing surface 12a, and various identification information is printed on this printing surface. Here, as the identification information, for example, character information 24 such as the card user's face image 20, the card user's address, name, date of birth, card expiration date, registration number, etc. is printed. The face image 20 is printed in full color, and the character information 24 is printed in black or any other color. In addition, a transparent ultraviolet (UV) shielding film 26 and a transparent protective film 28 are sequentially stacked on the printing surface 12a so as to overlap the printed identification information.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the card issuing device that issues the identification card 10 configured as described above includes a housing 30, and a card supply unit 32, a printing unit 34, and a UV shielding film transfer are provided in the upper part of the housing. Portions 44 are provided side by side. The card supply unit 32 is provided in a card hopper 36 in which a large number of base cards 12 are stacked and stored in a horizontal state with the printing surface 12a up, and a lower end portion of the card hopper. A pick-up roller 38 is provided that is picked up and supplied one by one from the bottom base card. Each base card 12 includes an IC chip 14 and an antenna 16 electrically connected to the IC chip. On the printing surface 12a of each base card 12, a pattern, a mark, or the like other than the identification information may be printed in advance.

  The printing unit 34 that prints identification information on the printing surface 12 a of the base card 12 supplied from the card supply unit 32 includes a color image printing unit 40 and a printing unit 42. The color image printing unit 40 multi-values a color image or color character including a card user's face image as identification information, and a Y (yellow) printing unit sequentially arranged along the transport direction of the base card 12 A 40Y, M (magenta) printing unit 40M and a C (cyan) printing unit 40C are provided, and Y, M, and C colors are successively superimposed to perform sublimation thermal transfer printing. Each of the printing units 40Y, 40M, and 40C includes a platen roller, a thermal print head, an ink ribbon, and an ink ribbon feeding mechanism.

  The printing unit 42 performs printing by heat and black transfer of characters as identification information, and includes a platen roller, a thermal print head, a black ink ribbon, and an ink ribbon feed mechanism. Generally, melt thermal transfer printing is suitable for character printing because the edge of a printed image is sharper than sublimation thermal transfer printing.

  The UV shielding film transfer unit 44 forms the UV shielding film 26 on the printing surface 12a of the base card 12, and includes a transfer ribbon on which a transparent UV shielding layer is formed, a heat roller in which a heating element is embedded, and a ribbon feeding mechanism. Etc. The UV shielding film transfer unit 44 performs thermal transfer by heating the UV shielding layer on the ribbon with a heat roller and pressing it onto the printing surface 12a.

  In the transport direction of the base card 12, a direction conversion unit 46 that converts the transport direction of the base card is provided on the downstream side of the UV shielding film transfer unit 44. In addition, a protective film transfer unit 48, an ultraviolet irradiation unit 50, a card R / W 52, and a card stacker 67 are provided in this order in the middle part of the housing 30 following the direction conversion unit 46.

  The protective film transfer unit 48 is an apparatus for transferring an ultraviolet curable protective film on the UV shielding film 26, and includes a ribbon on which a protective film layer is formed, a heat roller in which a heating element is embedded, a ribbon feeding mechanism, and the like. Yes. The protective film transfer unit 48 transfers the protective film layer on the ribbon by heating it with a heat roller and pressing it onto the printing surface 12a.

  The ultraviolet irradiation unit 50 forms the protective film 28 by curing the protective film transferred to the base card 12 with ultraviolet light. The light source lamp 54 irradiates the base card 12 with ultraviolet light, the light source lamp and the base card 12. A cover 55 is provided to cover the printing surface 12a. By irradiating the protective film applied to the printing surface 12a of the base card 12 with ultraviolet rays from the light source lamp 54, the protective film is rapidly cured in a short time to form the protective film 28. Further, by irradiating with ultraviolet rays, the base card 12 is heated and the temperature rises. Thereby, the ultraviolet irradiation part 50 functions also as a heating part which heats the base card 12 to predetermined temperature.

  When the protective film is cured, the surface becomes very hard, and the surface is less likely to be scratched than a normal overcoat layer, and the durability of the card can be greatly improved. Further, the UV shielding film 26 described above shields the ultraviolet irradiation on the printing surface 12a when irradiating the protective film with ultraviolet rays, and prevents the printed identification information from being discolored or deteriorated. Furthermore, in the actual use of the identification card 10, the UV shielding film 26 shields sunlight and prevents the color of the identification information from being lost or deteriorated.

  The card R / W 52 includes an antenna (not shown) that transmits and receives information to and from the antenna built in the base card 12. The card R / W 52 is connected to an R / W communication control unit 60 and a device control unit 62 for controlling the operation of the entire card issuing device, and the device control unit 62 is connected to an external host computer 64. The device control unit 62 transmits the identification information sent from the host computer 64 to the R / W communication control unit 60, and the R / W communication control unit 60 sends the sent identification information to the R / W 52.

  The card R / W 52 transmits this identification information to the base card 12 and writes it into the built-in IC chip 14. After completion of the writing, the card R / W 52 reads the identification information from the base card 12 and transmits it to the apparatus control unit 62 via the R / W communication control unit 60. Based on this, the apparatus control unit 62 performs verification processing on the identification information. When a writing error occurs, the card R / W 52 performs writing and reading of the identification information on the IC chip 14 of the base card 12 again (retry processing).

In the housing 30, a heat retaining means or a heat insulating means for preventing a temperature drop of the base card 12 is provided between the ultraviolet irradiation unit 50 and the card R / W 52. Here, the space between the ultraviolet irradiation unit 50 and the card R / W 52 is covered with a plurality of heat insulating plates 66. Therefore, the base card 12 heated to a predetermined temperature by the ultraviolet irradiation unit 50 is sent to the card R / W 52 while being maintained at the predetermined temperature, and information is written to the IC chip while being maintained at the predetermined temperature. Reading is performed. Thereby, the identification card 10 on which the identification information is printed and recorded is formed.
The card stacker 67 sequentially receives the identification cards 10 from the card R / W 52, and stacks and stores a large number of identification cards with the printing surface 12a facing up.

  In addition, in the housing 30, the base card 12 supplied from the card supply unit 32 is connected to the printing unit 34, UV shielding film transfer unit 44, direction changing unit 46, application unit 48, ultraviolet irradiation unit 50, card R. A transport path (not shown) for transporting through / W52 sequentially to the card stacker 67 and a transport mechanism such as a transport roller and a transport belt are provided. The transport path is provided with a plurality of sensors (not shown) that detect the passage of the base card 12. The device control unit 62 detects the passage timing of the base card, the number of passages, and the like by using these sensors, and controls the operation of each unit of the device according to the detection information.

  When issuing the identification card by the card issuing device configured as described above, the device control unit 62 receives the card issue command and the image or character identification information from the host computer 64, and then receives the base card from the card supply unit 32. 12 is taken out and supplied to the color image printing unit 40. Subsequently, the color image printing unit 40 performs multi-value printing of a color image including a face image and color characters on the printing surface 12a of the base card 12 by the Y printing unit 40Y, the M printing unit 40M, and the C printing unit 40c. After the face image is printed, the character information is printed on the printing surface 12 a of the base card 12 by the printing unit 42, and the UV shielding film 26 is transferred by the UV shielding film transfer unit 44.

  Subsequently, the conveyance direction of the base card 12 is changed by the direction changing unit 46 and sent to the coating unit 48. Next, after the protective film forming liquid is applied to the printing surface 12a of the base card 12 by the coating unit 48, the ultraviolet light irradiation unit 50 irradiates the light source lamp 54 with ultraviolet rays for about 8 seconds to cure the protective film forming liquid, thereby protecting the protective film. 28 is formed. At the same time, the entire base card 12 is heated to a predetermined temperature by irradiating with ultraviolet rays.

  Here, the predetermined temperature is adjusted according to the heat generation temperature of the IC chip 14 in the next step. That is, in the next step, the IC chip generates heat and the temperature rises as information is written to and read from the IC chip 14. The predetermined temperature is set such that the temperature difference from the heat generation temperature of the IC chip is about 60 ° C. or less, preferably 30 ° C. or less. For example, when the maximum heat generation temperature of the IC chip 14 is 110 ° C., the predetermined temperature is set to about 80 ° C. The heating temperature of the base card 12 can be controlled by adjusting the ultraviolet irradiation time, that is, the passage time of the light source lamp 54.

  Subsequently, the base card 12 is transported to the card R / W 52 while being maintained at a predetermined temperature. After the conveyance, the apparatus control unit 62 transmits the identification information to the R / W communication control unit 60, and the image information and character information corresponding to the face image, characters, etc. printed on the printing surface 12a are sent to the IC chip 14 of the base card 12. Write to. Next, after confirming writing to the IC chip 14, the base card 12 is conveyed to the card stacker 67. Thereafter, under the control of the device control unit 62, the pickup card 68 takes out the identification card 10 from the card stacker 67 and issues it. This completes a series of card issuing operations.

  According to the card issuing method and the card issuing apparatus configured as described above, the identification information is written to and read from the IC chip while the base card is heated to a predetermined temperature in advance. Therefore, even when the temperature of the IC chip rises during the process of writing and reading the identification information, and the portion near the IC chip of the base card 12 is heated to a high temperature, the temperature between the portion near the IC chip of the base card and other portions. The difference can be reduced and the difference in thermal expansion between these parts can be eliminated. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent wrinkles and warpage of the card surface due to the difference in thermal expansion, and to suppress image quality deterioration of images and characters printed on the printing surface. From the above, a card issuing method and a card issuing device that can issue an identification card having high-quality identification information can be obtained.

  Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, it is not necessary to provide an independent heating part by making the ultraviolet irradiation part serve as the heating part of a base card, and it can aim at reduction of the cost of an issuing apparatus, and operating cost. .

In the above-described embodiment, the identification card to be issued has been described for a wireless card or a non-contact card. However, the card issuing device and the card issuing method are not limited to this, and are also applied to a so-called contact card. be able to.
As shown in FIG. 4, the identification card 10 formed of a contact card includes a base card 12 formed in a rectangular plate shape and an IC chip 14 built in the base card. The IC chip 14 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an EEPROM, a processor for cryptographic processing, and a communication circuit, and is formed in a size of about 5 mm × 4 mm, for example. An electrode 70 is exposed on one surface of the base card 12 and is electrically connected to the IC chip 14. Thereby, the identification card 10 can write and read information with respect to the IC chip 14 through the electrode 70.

  The other surface of the base card 12 constitutes a printing surface 12a. As identification information, for example, the card user's face image, the card user's address, name, date of birth, card expiration date, registration Character information such as numbers is printed. The face image is printed in full color, and the character information 24 is printed in black or any other color. In addition, a transparent UV shielding film 26 and a transparent protective film 28 are sequentially stacked on the printing surface 12a so as to overlap the identification information.

When issuing a contact-type card, the card R / W 52 of the card issuing device includes a contact terminal that can contact the electrode 70 of the identification card 10, and information is written to and read from the IC chip of the identification card through this contact terminal. Configured. Other configurations of the card issuing device and the card issuing method can be the same as those in the above-described embodiment.
According to such a card issuing apparatus and card issuing method, similarly to the above-described embodiment, even when the temperature of the IC chip rises during the writing and reading processing of the identification information, the temperature fluctuation of the card is suppressed, An identification card having high-quality identification information can be issued.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.
For example, the identification information to be printed and recorded on the card is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be variously selected or combined as necessary. The printing of images and characters is not limited to sublimation thermal transfer printing and melt thermal transfer printing, and inkjet printing or the like can also be applied. In addition, the heating unit includes a light source lamp. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a heater, a heating roller, or the like can be used.

The top view which shows an example of an identification card | curd. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. Sectional drawing which shows the card issuing apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Sectional drawing which shows a contact-type identification card.

Explanation of symbols

10 ... Identification card, 12 ... Base card, 12a ... Printing surface,
14 ... IC chip, 16 ... antenna, 26 ... ultraviolet shielding film,
28 ... Protective film, 32 ... Card supply section, 34 ... Printing section,
44 ... UV shielding film transfer part, 48 ... Protective film transfer part, 50 ... Ultraviolet irradiation part,
52 ... Card reader / writer 54 ... Light source lamp

Claims (7)

Supplying a base card with a printed surface and a built-in IC chip,
Printing identification information on the printing surface of the supplied base card;
Heating the base card on which the identification information is printed to a predetermined temperature;
A card issuing method, wherein identification information is written to and read from an IC chip built in the base card while the base card is maintained at the predetermined temperature.   2. The card issuing method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined temperature is set so that a difference between the heat generation temperature of the IC chip and the predetermined temperature at the time of writing and reading the identification information is 30 ° C. or less. .   3. The card issuing method according to claim 1, wherein identification information including an image is printed as the identification information, and information corresponding to the image is written in the IC chip. A card supply unit for supplying a base card having a printed surface and incorporating an IC chip;
A printing unit that prints identification information on the printing surface of the base card supplied from the card supply unit;
A heating unit for heating the base card on which the identification information is printed to a predetermined temperature;
A reader / writer for writing and reading identification information to and from an IC chip built in the base card heated to the predetermined temperature;
A card issuing device comprising: A card supply unit that has a printed surface and supplies an IC chip and a base card that includes an antenna connected to the IC chip;
A printing unit for printing identification information including image information on a printing surface of a base card supplied from the card supply unit;
A heating unit for heating the base card on which the identification information is printed to a predetermined temperature;
A reader / writer that writes and reads identification information via the antenna with respect to an IC chip built in the base card heated to the predetermined temperature;
A card issuing device comprising:   An application unit that applies a protective layer to the printing surface of the base card on which the identification information is printed, and the heating unit includes a light source lamp that cures the applied protective layer and heats the base card. The card issuing device according to claim 4, wherein the card issuing device is a card issuing device.   7. The card issuing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the printing unit includes an image printing unit that forms a color image and a printing unit that prints characters.

Images