JPH02178096A - Ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the deformation of a card substrate at the time of the filling and curing of a resin by using an ultraviolet curable resin as hard coat for covering the printing on the surface of the card substrate and also using the same in the fixing of the IC module received in the cavity or through-hole of the card substrate. CONSTITUTION:An IC module 3 is received in the through-hole 2a of a card substrate 2 to which printing 7 is preliminarily applied from the under surface thereof in such a state that bent parts 4c are formed to said module 3. A pattern part 4d is arranged to an opening part 2b so that contact patterns 4a are exposed and positioned by fitting projections 2d to hole parts 4b. At least, a part of an ultraviolet curable resin 6 provided as hard coat covering the printing 7 on the surface of the card substrate 2 is infiltrated in the gap part generated on the side of the seal part 8 of the IC module 3. As the ultraviolet curable resin 6, a pasty resin such as a urethane/acrylic type resin or an epoxy/acrylic type resin is used. Finally, the ultraviolet curable resin 6 is cured by an ultraviolet lamp.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an IC card, and particularly to a structure for storing and fixing an IC module in a card base.

[Conventional technology]

In recent years, the development of IC cards equipped with IC chips such as CPUs and memories has progressed rapidly. Since this IC card has a larger storage capacity than conventional magnetic cards, it is being considered to be used in place of bank savings passbooks and credit cards.

In general, the components of an IC card are a card base that determines the shape and thickness of the card, and an IC module that is made up of a circuit board with an IC chip and contact pattern.
These are the printing and hard coat formed on the surface of the card base. Note that there are also IC cards that use a thin oversheet instead of printing and hard coating.

First, a conventional IC card structure will be explained based on the drawings. Fig. 9 is an external view of a conventional IC card, and Fig. 10 is an external view of a conventional IC card.
11 is an external view of the card base, FIG. 12 is an external view of the IC module, and FIGS. 13 to 17 are cross-sectional views showing other conventional IC cards.

In FIG. 9, the surface of the IC card 30 has a plurality of contact patterns 32c of the IC module 32, which will be described later.
is provided so as to be exposed, and various printing/hard coat layers 30a are also provided. The overall card shape is the plastic card base 31 shown in Figure 11.
It is determined by This card base 31 has a board recess 31a and a sealing recess 31b for accommodating the IC module 32. The card base 31 is formed by injection molding, for example, ABS resin. As shown in FIG. 12, the IC module 32 has an IC chip 33 bonded to a thin circuit board 32a, and the IC chip 33 is bonded with a sealing resin.
A sealing portion 32b is formed on the circuit board 32.
On the back side of a is a contact pattern 32c shown in FIG.
is formed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the IC module 32 has its sealing part 32b accommodated in the sealing recess 31b of the card base 31,
The circuit board 32a is housed in the board recess 31a with its outer periphery being restricted. At this time, the surface of the contact pattern 32c of the IC module 32 and the surface of the card base 31 are approximately the same.
It is stored flat. Further, an adhesive (not shown) is applied between the circuit board 32a and the sealing part 32b and the board recess 31a and the sealing recess 31b, and the IC module 32 is attached to the card base 31 by heating and curing the adhesive.
It is stuck to. Although the print/hard coat layer 30a is shown to be thick in FIG. 10, it is actually very thin, so that when completed, the contact pattern 32c and the print/hard coat layer 30a are approximately on the same plane.

Generally, the IC card 30 has a thickness of 0.8 mm, and must be flexible enough to withstand bending to a certain extent in order to avoid being destroyed by external forces applied during carrying or use.

Therefore, the card base 31 has flexibility, the sealing part 32b of the IC module 32 has rigidity, and the I
It was an essential condition that the C module 32 and the card base 31 be firmly fixed to each other.

However, the circuit board 3 constituting the IC module 32
Since the materials of the IC card 2a and the sealing part 32b are different from the material of the card base 31, it is difficult to obtain an adhesive that can reliably bond them together, and the adhesive strength varies widely. When the card base 31 is bent, separation occurs at the adhesive part between the card base 31 and the IC card 32, and the I
There was a problem that the C module 32 fell off.

Also, when heating and curing the adhesive, depending on the amount of adhesive applied and the position where it is applied, the circuit board vi 32a and the substrate recess 3L may be damaged.
There was a problem in that the adhesive leaked out from the gap a, staining the surface of the card base 31 on which the printing/hard coat layer 30a was formed.

Furthermore, there is a problem in that the card base 31 is deformed by the heat generated when the adhesive is heated and cured. Furthermore, since adhesives have poor handling and workability, there has been a desire for an IC card structure in which an IC module can be housed in a card base without using adhesives.

Therefore, an IC card structure in which an IC module is housed in a card base without using adhesive was proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-204788.
It is proposed in the Publication No. This IC card structure is the 13th
This will be explained based on the diagram. A through hole 40a is formed in the card base 40 constituting the IC card.
An IC module 41 is housed inside via a ring-shaped connecting member 44. Furthermore, reinforcing members 42 and 43 are arranged on the front and back surfaces of the IC module 41 and fixed to the connecting member 44. Note that a hole 42a for exposing the contact pattern 41a is formed in the reinforcing member 42 on the side of the contact pattern 41a of the IC module 41.

According to the above IC card structure, if the reinforcing members 42, 43 and the connecting member 44 are made of metal materials, they can be joined together by soldering or the high-frequency welding method. There is no need to attach it to the base.

However, such an IC card structure also has the following problems.

In other words, the contact pattern of an IC card is configured to be approximately flush with the surface of the card base in order to securely connect to the R/W (reader/writer), which is a data reading/writing device. In an IC card, the reinforcing member 42 is thicker than the contact pattern 41a, so the contact pattern 41a is thicker than the card base 40.
It will be installed at a lower position recessed than the surface of the

Therefore, there was a problem that the connection with the R/W became unstable.

Furthermore, if even the slightest error occurs in the outer diameter of the IC module 41, the inner and outer diameters of the connecting member 44, and the inner diameter of the through hole 40a, the IC module 41 will become unstable.
The contact pattern 41a may sometimes be misaligned. Moreover, as mentioned above, although the reinforcing members 42, 43 and the connecting member 44 are firmly joined by soldering or the high frequency welding method, the IC module 41 is connected to the reinforcing member 42.
．． Since the reinforcing member 42.43 is only held between the reinforcing members 42.43 and not particularly fixed, a user may carelessly touch the reinforcing member 42.43 when carrying or using the reinforcing member 42.
If the part 43 is pressed, there is a problem in that the IC module 41 comes off together with the reinforcing members 42 and 43. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the first method mentioned above must be solved.
Similar to the IC card shown in Figure 0, adhesive had to be used.

Therefore, as a structure for solving the above-mentioned problems and firmly storing and fixing the IC module to the card base, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-23283 and Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-423 are proposed.
No. 13 and other publications propose a structure in which an IC module is embedded with resin in a through hole or a recess of a card base.

First, the structure of the IC card disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 61-23283 will be explained based on FIGS. 14 and 15.

As shown in FIG. 14, in this IC card, a contact pattern 51b, wiring 51c, and an IC 52 are formed on a circuit board 51a constituting an IC module 51, and are fitted into a through hole 56 of a card base 50. Furthermore, thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets 53 made of vinyl chloride, acid-modified polyethylene, etc. are placed above and below the IC module 51 to cover the void 55 formed in the through hole 56. As shown, by applying heat and pressure from above and below, the thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet 53 and a part of the card base 50 are melted and the resin is filled into the void 55.Finally, an oversheet 54 is applied to the front and back surfaces of the card. The IC card is completed.

According to the above IC card, thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet 5
When the IC module 51 and the card base 50 are made of the same material, the IC module 51 can be housed and fixed in the card base 50 most firmly.

Also, I described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-42313
The structure of the C card will be explained based on FIGS. 16 and 17.

As shown in FIG. 16, this IC card has a card base 60
An IC module 61 is housed in a through hole 60a formed in a hole 60a through a cavity 62, and a plurality of coatings 63a to 63f are laminated and adhered to the upper and lower surfaces of the card base 60. The coatings 63a to 63f are made of polyvinyl chloride coated with polyethylene, and the coating 63 on the upper surface side
Holes 63g for exposing the contacts 61a of the IC module 61 are formed in the holes 63a, 63c, and 63f.

By applying heat and pressure to the coatings 63a and 63b from above and below, the coatings 63c to 63f are melted and the cavity 62 is filled with the molten resin, so that the IC module 61 is firmly housed and fixed in the through hole 60a. Contacts 61a are exposed through holes 63g in coatings 63a, 63c, and 63f.

As shown in the above two embodiments, if the IC card structure is such that the IC module is housed and fixed in the card base using resin, the adhesion between the resin and the card base is good, so the IC module and the card base can be firmly bonded. Can be done. Therefore, even if the IC card is deformed by external force during normal carrying or use, the IC module will not fall off from the card base, making it possible to provide a highly reliable IC card.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

However, an IC card structure in which an IC module is housed and fixed to a card base using resin has the following problems.

The point is that a thermoplastic resin sheet or film that melts when heated and pressurized is used as the resin to fill the voids in the hollows or through holes formed in the card base.

That is, as mentioned above, since the thermoplastic resin sheet or film is laminated on the card base and heated and pressurized, there is a problem in that the card base is also heated and pressurized at the same time and deforms. In particular, as shown in FIG. 15, in the IC card structure described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-23283, the vicinity of the through hole 56 of the card base 50 is heated until it melts, so that the surface of the card base 50 is also heated at the same time. melts and deforms. Furthermore, if the surface of the card base 50 is melted and deformed, the surface roughness will deteriorate, making it impossible to directly print on the surface of the card base 50. Moreover, even if the oversheet 54 is pasted, there is a problem that its adhesion is poor and it may peel off. Furthermore, since the vicinity of the through hole 56 melts, the positioning of the IC module 51 fitted into the through hole 56 becomes unstable, causing the problem that the position of the contact pattern 51b shifts.Similarly, as shown in FIG. Even in the IC card structure described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 63-42313, the IC module 61 does not have a special positioning means, so while the coatings 63c to 63f are melting, the IC module 6
The positioning of contact pattern 61 became unstable.
There was a problem that the position of a was shifted. Further, there is a problem in that the melted coatings 63c and 63f leak from the gap between the holes 63g for exposing the contact pattern 61a and cover the surface of the contact pattern 61a. Further, when the surface coatings 63a, 63b are printed with figures, characters, etc., there is a problem that the printing may be distorted or the color may change due to heat.

Furthermore, since the IC module is housed in a thin card base, it is generally thinner than the card base as shown in FIG. 12, but as shown in FIGS.
Since it is difficult to realize a structure in which the IC 52 is formed so as to penetrate the circuit board 51a like the IC module 51 shown in the figure, the IC card structure as it is cannot be adopted. Similarly, the IC module 61 shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 is also box-shaped, and no proposal has been made regarding its specific configuration, so it would be extremely difficult to realize an IC card as is. was difficult.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide an IC card structure in which resin is filled into a cavity formed in a hollow or through hole of a card base in which an IC module is housed. To provide an IC card structure in which an IC module can be fixed with resin without causing displacement of the IC module and without adversely affecting printing provided on the surface of a card base.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a structure in which a circuit board has a contact pattern on one side, and an IC chip connected to the contact pattern is mounted on the other side in a sealed manner. a card base having a recess or a through hole for accommodating the IC module, and a card base whose surface is printed, and the IC module is stored in the recess or through hole. After that, in the IC card configured by filling the voids formed in the holes or the through holes with resin, the circuit board of the IC module has a pattern part where the contact pattern is formed and a part continuous from the pattern part. a bent portion formed by bending the IC module, and a receiving portion for holding the bent portion of the IC module is formed in the recess or through hole of the card base;
The bent portion of the IC module is held in the receiving portion so that the contact pattern is exposed from the recess or through hole, and the printed surface is covered with an ultraviolet curable resin, and the bent portion is held in the recess or through hole. The method is characterized in that the void portion is filled.

〔Example〕

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a tC card showing a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a card base, and FIG.
b) is a sectional view of a main part of the IC module, and FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the IC card shown in FIG.

In FIG. 1, an IC card 1 includes a card base 2 made of plastic made by injection molding ABS resin, an IC module 3, a print 7 formed on the surface of the card base 2, and an ultraviolet curing resin 6 to be described later. It is composed of.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), a through hole 2a for accommodating the IC module 3 is formed in the card base 2.The through hole 2a is for exposing the contact pattern 4a of the IC module 3. opening 2b and this opening 2b
The receiving part 2 is continuous with the opening part 2b and is formed to have a larger diameter than the opening part 2b.
It is composed of C. This receiving part 2C is composed of a slope part 2e and a holding part 2f, and the holding part 2f has a plurality of protrusions 2.
d is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2(b), the IC module 3 has a flexible circuit board 4 on which a contact pattern 4a is formed and an IC chip 5, and the IC chip 5 is bonded to the bottom surface of the circuit board 4. A sealing portion 8 is formed of sealing resin. Also, contact pattern 4a
and IC chip 5 are connected via a through hole (not shown). The circuit board 4 is composed of a pattern portion 4d provided with a contact pattern 4a, and a bent portion 4C formed by bending from this pattern portion 4d.
A hole 4b for engaging with the protrusion 2d of the card base 2 is formed in the bent portion 4C.

Moreover, the bending shape of the bent portion 4C is bent so as to partially conform to the shape of the receiving portion 2c of the card base body 2.

As described above, the circuit board 4 has a flexible property, and the bent portion 4c is bent while heating the circuit board 4. Since the circuit board 4 is easily damaged if heated too much at that time, a bent pattern 4f is formed on the back surface from the pattern part 4d to the bent part 4C. This folding pattern 4f is formed of a copper foil pattern like the contact pattern 4a, and since it is easy to store heat even with a small amount of heat and is difficult to radiate heat, the bent portion 4C can be easily formed. Further, the bending pattern 4f maintains the bent shape of the bent portion 4C due to its shape retention property, and also reinforces the crease portion.

Next, the manufacturing process of this IC card 1 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 3, the <tC module 3, with the bent portion 4C formed thereon, is housed in the through hole 2a from the lower surface side of the card base 2 on which the printing 7 has been formed in advance. As shown in FIG. 1, the pattern part 4d is arranged in the opening part 2b so that the contact pattern 4a is exposed, and the upper surface side of the bent part 4c is held by the holding part 2f and the slope part 2e of the receiving part 2c. The hole 4b is positioned by fitting into the projection 2d. At this time, the tips of the protrusions 2d are thermally caulked to prevent the circuit board 4 from coming off. Finally, a part of the ultraviolet curing resin 6 provided as a hard coat to cover the printing 7 on the surface of the card base 2 is applied to the IC module 3.
The cavity formed on the side of the sealing part 8 is filled. In this embodiment, the printing 7 on the side where the contact pattern 4a is exposed is also covered with the ultraviolet curing resin 6. The ultraviolet curable resin 6 includes urethane acrylic, epoxy acrylic,
It is preferable to use a silicone acrylic paste resin. Finally, the ultraviolet curable resin 6 is cured by irradiation with an ultraviolet irradiation lamp (not shown), and the tC card 1 is cured.
is completed.

According to the IC card 1 having the above configuration, since the printing 7 is hard-coated with the ultraviolet curable resin 6 that does not require high-temperature treatment, the card base 2 and the printing 7 are not adversely affected. Moreover, at the same time as hard-coating the printing 7 on the surface of the card base 2, the IC module 3
Since it is possible to store and fix the IC module, it is possible to omit the resin filling process for fixing the IC module, which was specially required as in the past. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, in the completed IC card, the placement position of the IC module 3 can be seen through the transparent ultraviolet curing resin 6, so general users can easily see the placement location of the IC module 3. It can remind you not to press it with your fingers carelessly.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described based on FIG. 4. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same numbers and their explanations will be omitted.

The IC card 9 of this embodiment is composed of a card base 10, an IC module 11, a print 7 formed on the surface of the card base 10, and an ultraviolet curing resin 6.

The difference from the first embodiment is that the bent portion 12a of the circuit board 12 constituting the IC module 11 has one fold;
Accordingly, the receiving part 10b in the through hole 10a of the card base 10 that holds the bent part 12a is composed of only a slope part. This embodiment also exhibits the same effects as the first embodiment described above.

In the first and second embodiments described above, in order to position the IC module, a hole was provided in the bent part of the circuit board and engaged with the protrusion of the card base, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, a notch 4g may be formed in the bent portion instead of the hole. Furthermore, in Figure 5,
The same reference numbers as in FIG. 3 indicate the same components.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the main parts of an IC card showing a third embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7(a) is a sectional view of the main parts of the IC module, and FIG. 7(b) is a sectional view of the main parts of the card base. , FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the I''CC card shown in FIG. 6.

First, parts constituting the IC card of this embodiment will be explained based on the drawings. Incidentally, the same components as those explained in FIGS. 1 to 5 above are given the same numbers and their explanations will be omitted.

In FIG. 6, the IC card 13 is made of a plastic card base 14 made by injection molding of ABS resin, etc.
It is composed of a C module 3, a print 7 formed on the surface of a card base 14, and an ultraviolet curing resin 6.

As shown in FIG. 7(a), the IC module 3 is as shown in FIG. 2(b).
), but as shown in FIG. 8, the number of holes 4b formed in one bent portion 4c is two.

As shown in FIG. 7(b), a recess 14a for accommodating the IC module 3 is formed in the card base 14.

A trapezoidal portion 14b having a trapezoidal shape is located at the center of this recessed portion 14a.
is formed, and a sealing recess 14f is further formed in the center thereof. A receiving portion 14d is formed on the outer periphery of the trapezoidal portion 14b, and the receiving portion 14d is composed of a slope portion 14c inclined from the upper surface of the trapezoidal portion 14b and a holding portion 14g. Further, a plurality of protrusions 14e are formed on the holding portion 14g.

Next, the manufacturing process of this IC card 13 will be explained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the IC module 3 has a bent portion 4C formed thereon, and a card base 14 on which a print 7 has been formed in advance.
is housed in the recess 4a from the top side. As shown in FIG. 6, when the pattern part 4d is arranged on the trapezoidal part 14b so that the contact pattern 4a is exposed, the lower surface side of the bent part 4c is connected to the slope part 14c of the receiving part 14d and the holding part 14g. The hole 4b fits into the protrusion 14e and is positioned. At this time, the tips of the protrusions 2d are thermally caulked to prevent the circuit board 4 from coming off. Further I
The sealing portion 8 of the C module 3 is accommodated in the sealing recess 14f. Finally, the surface of the print 7 is coated with the ultraviolet curable resin 6, and the void formed on the upper surface of the bent portion 4c of the IC module 3 is filled with the ultraviolet curable resin 6. In this embodiment, the printing 7 on the back side where the contact pattern 4a is not exposed is also covered with the ultraviolet curing resin 6. The ultraviolet curing resin 6 used is the same as that in the first embodiment. Finally, the ultraviolet curing resin 6 is cured by irradiation with an ultraviolet irradiation lamp (not shown), and the IC card 13 is completed.

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the IC card configuration of the present invention, as a hard coat for covering the printing on the surface of the card base,
An ultraviolet curable resin is used that is paste-like at room temperature and does not require much heating during curing, and the ultraviolet curable resin is also used to fix the IC module housed in the recess or through hole of the card base. Because of the card structure, there is no possibility that the card base will be deformed, the printing will be distorted, or the color will change when resin is filled into the voids in the depressions or through holes and the resin is cured. Moreover, since it can be performed simultaneously with the coating (hard coat) process of printing, the card manufacturing process is also simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the main parts of an IC card showing the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a sectional view of the main parts of the card base, and FIG. 2(b) is a sectional view of the main parts of the IC module. , FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the IC card shown in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the module; FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the main part of an IC card showing a third embodiment of the present invention;
a) is a sectional view of the main part of the IC module, FIG. 7(b) is a sectional view of the main part of the card base, FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the IC card shown in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a conventional IC card. An external view of the card, Fig. 1O is a sectional view taken along line A-A in Fig. 9, Fig. 11 is an external view of the card base, Fig. 12 is an external view of the IC module, and Figs. 13 to 17 are conventional It is a sectional view showing another IC card. 1.9.13 ・ ・ ・ IC card, 2.10.1
4...Card base, 2a, 10a...Through hole, 3.11...IC module, 4, 14a/4c. 4 d ・ 5 ・ ・ 6 ・ ・ 7 ・ ・ 8 ・ ・ 14 ・ ...Circuit board, ・Contact pattern, 2a...Bending part, ・Pattern part, IC chip, UV curing resin, printing, sealing・Concavity. Sealing gloss diagram No. 7 Momme (C1) (b) Kazu 58 Σ Diagram design] 3 Diagram] 1 Diagram filling] 2 Sokuma r Diagram 7i Diagram

Claims (1)

[Claims] An IC module comprising a circuit board having a contact pattern on one side and an IC chip connected to the contact pattern on the other side in a sealed manner;
It has a card base having a recess or a through hole for accommodating the module and a printing on the surface thereof, and after storing the IC module in the recess or through hole, the IC module is inserted into the recess or the through hole. In an IC card configured by filling a resin into a void formed in a through hole, the IC
The circuit board of the module is composed of a pattern section on which the contact pattern is formed and a bent section that is continuously bent from the pattern section, and the IC module is arranged in the recess or through hole of the card base. A receiving part is formed to hold the bent part of the IC.
The bent portion of the module is held in the receiving portion so that the contact pattern is exposed from the recess or through hole, and the printed surface is coated with an ultraviolet curable resin and the contact pattern is exposed in the recess or through hole. An IC card characterized by filling a void.