JPH0260520B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to cards such as cash cards and identification cards that have a built-in semiconductor integrated circuit (hereinafter referred to as an IC), and in particular, an IC that has a contactless input/output section. Regarding built-in cards.

2. Description of the Related Art In cash cards, credit cards, etc. that are frequently used today, information such as a code number is written on a magnetic tape attached to a plastic card.

However, although the need to write information on cards has been increasing recently, it is difficult to write information on cards using magnetic tape as described above with terminal equipment, and it is difficult to write information on cards that can be written. The quantity is also small. Moreover, it is also one of the factors that facilitates computer crimes, which have become a social problem in recent years.

In contrast, by incorporating an IC inside the card,
An IC built-in card has been proposed that allows information to be written to and read from the IC. With this type of IC built-in card, it is easy to write data in terminal equipment, etc., the amount of information that can be written is large, and it is expected that computer crimes can be reduced.

However, in the IC built-in card mentioned above, when contact-type metal terminals are used as the input/output terminals of the IC in the card, poor contact may occur due to oxidation, corrosion, or mechanical wear of the metal terminals. wake me up
There are problems such as the IC malfunctioning and leakage current flowing between the terminals.

This invention also uses non-contact type input/output elements such as photocouplers for input/output of cards with built-in ICs, and by embedding them inside the card, oxidation, corrosion, and wear are prevented. Therefore, the purpose is to eliminate IC malfunction and leakage current.

The gist of the present invention resides in an IC built-in card provided with a solar cell, characterized in that a polarizing filter that transmits only light of a specific wavelength is provided on the surface of the light receiving portion of the solar cell.

The invention will be explained below based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an IC built-in card according to the present invention. An IC 2 is molded inside the card body 1 made of synthetic resin or the like, and an input section 3 and an output section 4 are connected to the IC 2 via wires _l1 and _l2, respectively. In the first embodiment, capacitive elements such as capacitors are used as the input section 3 and the output section 4. In this case, input section 3 and output section 4
A capacitor may be directly disposed in the IC 2, or an electrode connected to a capacitor provided inside or outside the IC 2 may be disposed. Note that the capacitors or electrodes provided in the input section 3 and the output section 4 are covered with a synthetic resin material constituting the card so that they are not directly exposed to the surface of the card body 1.

Therefore, in the card of this embodiment, if an external device such as a terminal device brings the electrode close to the input section 3 and applies an electric field, a signal can be input to the IC 2 inside the card. . Furthermore, by bringing a detector for detecting changes in the electric field close to the output section 4, the output signal can be read.

Note that 5 is a power supply unit such as a battery built into the card body 1, and the IC 2 is driven by the power supply voltage supplied from this power supply unit 5.

The above IC2 is, for example, as shown in FIG.
It is composed of an interface circuit 21 connected to the input section 3 and output section 4, an arithmetic circuit 22, a memory circuit 23, and the like. The memory circuit 23 is a ROM
It consists of a memory such as (read-only memory) or RAM (random access memory), and it is possible to write necessary information such as a code number in advance, or to write information input when using the card. This card also stores data obtained by performing appropriate calculations in the calculation circuit 22 based on input signals in the memory 23,
It can be output to the outside from the output section 4 via the interface circuit 21.

Next, as a second embodiment, a light receiving element such as a photodiode is used as the input section 3,
Also, a case will be described in which an element capable of adjusting the amount of light, such as a liquid crystal or an EL element, is used as the output section 4.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 3, a light emitting element 11 such as a light emitting diode is brought close to the input section (photodiode) 3 from the outside, and the optically modulated input signal is converted into an electrical signal by the photodiode. Change it and input it to IC2. In addition, when a liquid crystal is used as the output section 4, for example, a light source 12 and a photodiode 13 are disposed above and below the output section 4 so as to sandwich the liquid crystal therebetween, and the light source 12 and the photodiode 13 are arranged so as to face each other, and the transmission of the liquid crystal driven by the IC 2 is performed. The output signal is read by detecting changes in the amount of light.

Of course, this liquid crystal may be not only a transmissive type but also an anti-viewing type. Further, the number of liquid crystals driven by the IC 2 is not limited to one, but may be divided into a plurality of parts.

Furthermore, if an oscillator is installed in the card to provide a clock function or a calculation function, a part of the display liquid crystal segment may be used to read the output signal. can.
In this case, since multiple bit signals can be output simultaneously, data reading speed can be improved.

In addition, as a non-contact input/output method other than the above embodiment, for example, a coil printed in a spiral shape is provided in the input section 3, and a magnetic field is applied from the outside to input the contactless input/output method using electromagnetic induction. It is also possible to use a method.

Further, the power supply unit 5 may be a battery having an electromotive force such as a lithium battery, a photoelectric conversion element such as a solar cell, or a power supply unit using electromagnetic induction.

When a solar cell is used as a power source, as shown in FIG. 3, when reading a card, a light source 14 is brought close to the solar cell 5 from the outside, and strong light is irradiated to drive the internal IC 2. What is necessary is just to configure a card reading device.

In this case, the light source 14 emits light of a specific wavelength, and a polarizing filter is provided on the surface of the battery 5 to prevent power supply voltage from being supplied to the IC 2 under normal room temperature lighting or sunlight. ,
It is also possible to prevent IC malfunction.

The above cards can only be read or written to.
Since all that is required is for the IC2 to operate, the use of solar cells in this manner has the advantage that power can be supplied only when necessary, and there is no need to replace the battery.

As explained above, this invention allows input/output to and from a card with a built-in IC to be performed in a non-contact manner, making it possible to prevent IC malfunctions and leakage currents due to oxidation, corrosion, and abrasion of input/output terminals. It has the effect of becoming

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of an IC built-in card according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the internal IC, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a method for reading an IC built-in card according to the present invention. It is a perspective view showing an example. 1... Card body, 2... Semiconductor integrated circuit (IC), 3... Input section, 4... Output section, 5... Power supply section.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In IC cards equipped with solar cells,
A polarizing filter that transmits only light of a specific wavelength is provided on the surface of the light receiving part of the solar cell.
IC built-in card.