JPH0263798A - Information recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To facilitate a checkup of the use condition of information recording medium and make possible the repeated deletion and writing of any visible information without providing a power supply in the information recording medium by arranging the medium between a liquid crystal layer and a transparent electrode substrate and an optical conductor and displaying information to be recorded as an image. CONSTITUTION:If light hgamma is projected to a photoconductive photosensitive element 13, the volume resistance Rp of the photosensitive element 13 reduces and thereby a voltage Vl applied to a liquid crystal layer 12 increases. In addition, if the light hgamma is not projected to the photoconductive photosensitive element 13, the voltage Vl applied to the liquid crystal layer 12 reduces because the volume resistance Rp of the photosensitive element 13 is highly resistive. Consequently, the light hgamma corresponding to an image is projected and a voltage VDC is applied from outside so that a voltage applied to the white section(exposed section) of an image is VH and a voltage VM applied to the black section(non-exposed section) is VM. Consequently, visible information, that is, a desired visible image can be formed. In addition, this visible image is maintained as it is even after the applied voltage VDC is removed. During non-exposure time, the visible image can be deleted by applying such a voltage VHH that a voltage VL equals VH.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention is used as a prepaid card, for example, and can display the usage status of the card as visible information on its surface. Regarding information recording media.

(Prior Art) In recent years, there has been progress in replacing cashless transactions with cards, and in particular, the use of prepaid cards is increasing.

Typical prepaid cards include:
For example, cards that allow calls at public telephones and cards that allow the purchase of railway tickets are known. These prepaid cards are subject to their usage,
For example, many cards are designed to magnetically record the balance, etc., and in the case of these types of cards, depending on the amount of use, punch holes are formed in advance where the amount is printed. , card users are now shown an approximate balance. For this reason, it has been impossible for card users to accurately determine usage status from the card itself.

Therefore, prepaid cards have been developed that can print out visible information about the status of the card when it is used. However, in the case of this prepaid card, once-printed information cannot be erased or rewritten. Therefore, given the limited area of the card, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be printed, and there are restrictions on its use.

Furthermore, it is conceivable to use, for example, a 7-segment liquid crystal display to display visible information. However, when a 7-segment liquid crystal display is used, a power source is required inside the cart, and the information that can be displayed is limited.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The present invention has problems in that a card in which visible information is printed is limited in its use because the amount of information that can be printed is limited, and a 7-segment liquid crystal display This was done to eliminate the disadvantages of devices that display visible information using devices such as devices that require an internal power source and are limited in the information that can be displayed. The purpose of the present invention is to provide an information recording medium that allows users to check its usage status at a glance, and that can repeatedly erase and write any visible information without requiring a power supply inside the medium. There is.

[Structure of the Invention] (Means for Solving the Problems) The information recording medium of the present invention has a liquid crystal display section in which a liquid crystal layer is disposed between a transparent electrode substrate and a photoconductor, The recorded information is recorded as an image by displaying it on the liquid crystal display section, and the recorded information displayed on the liquid crystal display section can be rewritten.

When writing information to be recorded on the liquid crystal display section, an image to be recorded information is projected onto the liquid crystal layer, and the light irradiation section of the liquid crystal layer is projected through the transparent electrode substrate and the photoconductor. Displaying the image on the liquid crystal display section by applying a voltage that changes the arrangement state of crystals between the and the non-irradiated section,
Further, by cutting off the application of the voltage, the display state on the liquid crystal display section is maintained.

(Function) This invention configures a liquid crystal display section by disposing a liquid crystal layer between a transparent electrode substrate and a photoconductor, and records information as an image by displaying recorded information on the liquid crystal display section. , any visible information can be rewritten as the recorded information any number of times.

When writing recorded information to the liquid crystal display section,
A voltage that projects an image to be recorded information onto the liquid crystal layer and changes the arrangement state of crystals in light irradiated areas and non-irradiated areas of the liquid crystal layer through the transparent electrode substrate and the photoconductor. The image is displayed on the liquid crystal display section by applying a voltage from the outside, and the display state on the liquid crystal display section is maintained by cutting off the application of the voltage. It is considered unnecessary.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example in which the information recording medium of the present invention is used as a prepaid card used, for example, in transportation facilities. On the front surface of the prepaid card 1, a visible information display section 2 as a liquid crystal display section is provided, as shown in FIG. 2(a). This visible information display section 2 displays, for example, the usage status (recorded information) of the card 1 as a visible image, and any visible information 3 can be repeatedly erased and written. There is. In addition, on the back of the prepaid card 1, the same figure (b
), the printed characters 4 are printed using ink or the like, and there is also a magnetic stripe 5 on which the usage status of the card 1 is magnetically recorded, and ■c (integrated A contact point 7 of a circuit) 6 is provided so that information can be exchanged with an external device (not shown).

FIG. 2 shows a schematic cross section of the prepaid card 1. As shown in FIG. That is, the prepaid card 1 includes a transparent electrode substrate 11, a liquid crystal layer 12, a substrate 14 coated with a photoconductive photoreceptor (photoconductor) 13, and a protective substrate 15 on which the magnetic stripes 5 and the like are disposed. are stacked in order. The transparent electrode substrate 11 includes:
Polymer films, such as polyurethane films with indium oxide (ITO (In203)) deposited on them, Nesa glass, and the like are used.

The liquid crystal layer 12 is made of a nematic cholesteric phase transition type liquid crystal which is a memory type liquid crystal.

That is, as a memory type liquid crystal, for example, MBBA (
p-methoxybenzylidene-p-n-butylaniline) and the like, and COC (
A memory type phase change type mixed liquid crystal which is mixed with a cholesteric liquid crystal consisting of cholesteryl oleyl carbonate) is used.

The photoconductive photoreceptor 13 is made of, for example, selenium or organic photoconductor (OPC) used in electrophotography.

Further, the transparent electrode substrate 11 has a contact point 16a.

16a and the photoconductive photoreceptor 13 are electrically connected to contacts 16b, 16b through the substrate 14, so that, for example, a voltage VDc can be supplied from an external device. Note that the contacts 16b, 16b are grounded inside the card 1.

Here, the characteristics of the memory type liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer 12 and the method of writing and erasing visible information using the combination of this liquid crystal and the photoconductive photoreceptor 13 will be described.

As mentioned above, in the nematic cholesteric phase transition type memory liquid crystal, by applying an appropriate vertical alignment treatment agent to the surface of the transparent electrode substrate 11, the transmittance against the applied voltage VOC as shown in FIG. It is known to exhibit a curved line. That is, when the voltage applied to the liquid crystal layer 12 is OV (no load state), the liquid crystal molecules near the transparent electrode substrate 11 are arranged perpendicularly to the electrode, and in the intermediate layer, they are arranged parallel to the electrode and spirally. It has a planar structure that is twisted and arranged in a shape. In this state, the applied voltage is
The optical transparency is maintained at about 90% or more below the VL shown in the figure.

Next, when an applied voltage vM is applied, the Brehner structure is destroyed, and the liquid crystal molecules are aligned parallel to the electrodes, creating a focal cornic structure (a unique cone-shaped structure of cholesteric liquid crystal) with the helical axis rotated by 90 degrees. appears, creating a state that causes optical transparency. In this state, the applied voltage V
It is designed to be maintained even after M is removed (blocked).

Further, when the applied voltage becomes VH, the arrangement of molecules changes to a state in which all molecules are uniformly oriented perpendicular to the electrode (homeotropic structure). When voltage VH is applied, it is approximately 10
The light transmittance is 0%, and in this case, the initial state (no-load state) is restored several seconds after the applied voltage vH is removed.

Writing and erasing of visible information utilizes the above-mentioned characteristics, and FIG. 4 shows both driving circuits and the like. In FIG. 4, CL and RL are the capacitance C component and volume resistance of the liquid crystal layer 12, and CP and RP are the photoconductive photoreceptor 1.
3, the capacitance C component and the volume resistance.

When the leading conductive photoreceptor 13 receives the light hν, its volume resistance RP is changed, so that the liquid crystal layer 12
It is designed to change the voltage V applied to. That is, when the photoconductive photoreceptor 13 is irradiated with the light hv, the volume resistance RP of the photoreceptor 13 is reduced, thereby increasing the voltage V applied to the liquid crystal layer 12. In addition, when the light hν does not hit the photoconductive photoreceptor 13, the photoreceptor 13
Since the volume resistance RP maintains a high resistance, the voltage v applied to the liquid crystal layer 12 becomes low. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the light hν corresponding to the image is exposed so that the voltage applied to the white background part (exposed part) of the image is vH1, and the voltage applied to the black background part (unexposed part) is VM. By externally applying a voltage VDC, visible information, that is, a desired visible image can be formed. Note that this visible image is
It is maintained even after the applied voltage VDC is removed.

Furthermore, during non-exposure, the visible image is erased by applying a voltage V Hl-1 such that the voltage is vL-vH.

With such a configuration, it is possible to repeatedly write any visible image (visible information) on the prepaid card 1, so that each time the card 1 is used, the usage status, such as the card balance, can be written. It becomes possible to easily determine the accurate balance etc. from this information itself. Further, there is no need to provide a power source inside the prepaid card 1, and there are no restrictions on the use of the card 1 or the information that can be displayed.

Next, a case will be described in which the above-mentioned prepaid card 1 is used as a commuter pass for transportation such as a railway, and the commuter pass is utilized using an automatic ticket gate (external device). That is, by adding the function of a regular commuter pass to the prepaid card 1 and inserting this card 1 into an automatic ticket gate, automatic ticket gates and automatic payment are made possible. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, the visible information display section 2 provided on the surface of the prepaid card 1 is divided into a balance display area 2a and an information display area 2b. As information 3, the balance before placing a bid and information regarding placing a bid are displayed.

Further, on the back side of the card 1, information on the face of the commuter pass, such as the section of use and period of use, is printed as printed characters 4. Furthermore, information such as the card balance, as well as the face information such as the usage section and period of use, is prerecorded magnetically or electrically on the magnetic stripe 5 and the IC 6.

When passing through a ticket gate using such a card 1, for example, as shown in FIG. In Figure (a), the card 1 is inserted into an automatic ticket gate (not shown) at the boarding station. Then, Figure 6 (b
), a contact point 16a is provided in the balance display area 2a.

The display in this area 2a is erased by applying the erasing voltage VHH through the transistors 1 and 6b.

At the same time, corresponding to the information display area 2b, the boarding station name "Tokyo", the current balance rlooO yen", and the date of use r63.8. An image corresponding to information regarding the bidding such as IOJ is exposed. Then, as shown in FIG. 6(c), a visible image is formed in the information recording area 2b by applying an appropriate voltage VDC via the contacts 16a and 16b. Thereafter, the application of the voltage VDC is removed, so that the information display area 2b of the visible information display section 2
The above visible image is fixed.

Note that information is magnetically and electrically recorded on the magnetic stripe 5 and the IC 6 during or prior to the writing and erasing of the visible image.

Then, the card 1 with the visible image (balance) in the balance display area 2a erased and the visible image (information regarding ticket issuing) fixed in the information display area 2b is ejected from the automatic ticket gate and returned to the user. (Figure 7(b)). In this case, the usage status of the card 1 can be easily confirmed from the visible image.

On the other hand, when the card 1 in the above state is inserted into the automatic ticket gate at the station where you get off the train, the erasing voltage VHH is applied to the information display area 2b via the contacts 16a16b, as shown in FIG. 6(d). As a result, the display of the visible image in this area 2b is erased.

In addition, at the time of erasing the visible image, or prior to this,
By magnetically or electrically reading information from the magnetic stripe 5 and IC 6, the automatic ticket gate compares the station of getting off and the section of use, and the date of use and period of use. Then, as a result of the comparison, if, for example, the riding section exceeds the usage section or the usage date is outside the usage period, the balance is updated with a fare corresponding to that. In other words, the amount used outside the usage range of the commuter pass is automatically settled based on the card balance.

In this way, the balance is updated as necessary (in this case, information on the magnetic stripe 5 and IC 6 is also updated).
When this is done, the balance after the settlement is exposed as an image corresponding to the balance display area 2a. And Fig. 6 (d
), an appropriate voltage VDC is applied to the contacts 16a and 16b.
The balance recording area 2 is
A visible image is formed on a. Thereafter, the application of the voltage vDc is removed, thereby fixing the visible image in the balance display area 2a of the visible information display section 2.

Then, the visible image in the information display area 2b is erased, and the card 1 with the balance "880 yen" according to the payment fixed as a visible image in the balance display area 2a is ejected from the automatic ticket gate and handed over to the user. It is returned (Figure 7 (C)). In this case, the balance of the card 1 can be easily confirmed from the visible image.

In this way, when the prepaid card 1 of the present invention is used as a commuter pass for transportation such as railways, as described above,
It is possible to easily determine the exact usage status etc. from the card itself, there is no need to provide a power source inside the prepaid card 1, and there are no restrictions on the use of the card 1 and the information that can be displayed. This allows automatic ticket gates and automatic payment. Therefore, even if there is a conventional automatic ticket gate,
This eliminates the hassle of having to purchase a ticket for an automatic ticket gate using a prepaid card to pass through the ticket gate, and it also has the advantage of being able to pay without going through a counter. It becomes possible to provide a convenient means of transportation.

Further, by dividing the visible information display section 2 into areas of the number of stages and writing and erasing a visible image in each area only in one direction, the time required for writing and erasing can be shortened.

As described above, a liquid crystal layer is arranged between a transparent electrode substrate and a photoconductive photoreceptor to constitute a visible information display section, and the usage status etc. are displayed on the visible information display section and recorded as an image. By doing so, it is possible to repeatedly erase and write one piece of visible information.

That is, an image is projected onto the liquid crystal layer, and a voltage is applied from the outside via a transparent electrode substrate and a photoconductive photoreceptor to change the arrangement state of crystals in the light irradiated area and the non-irradiated area of the liquid crystal layer. By applying the voltage, the image is displayed on the visible information display section, and further, the application of the voltage is cut off to maintain the display state on the visible information display section.

As a result, various information such as usage status can be recorded in a visible state, and the contents of the record can be rewritten any number of times.

Therefore, it becomes possible to easily check the accurate balance etc. from the card itself at a glance, there is no need for a power supply inside the card, and there are no restrictions on the use of the card and the information that can be displayed. It's nothing like that.

Furthermore, by using a polymer film as the transparent electrode substrate, strength against damage during portability is ensured.

In the above embodiments, the prepaid cards used in transportation facilities have been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and can be applied to various prepaid cards such as prepaid cards for telephone use or expressway use.

It goes without saying that various other modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the invention.

[Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, according to the present invention, the use status of the medium itself can be confirmed at a glance by displaying visible information, and furthermore, a power source is not required inside the medium. It is possible to provide an information recording medium on which arbitrary visible information can be repeatedly erased and written.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the structure of a prepaid card, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the prepaid card, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing applied voltage vs. A characteristic diagram showing the transmittance curve, Figure 4 is a diagram showing the driving equivalent circuit of the 1& type liquid crystal, Figure 5 is a diagram shown to explain the visible image formation operation, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing the operation of a prepaid card on a railway. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of display of a visible image when used as a commuter pass. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Prepaid card (information recording medium) 2... Visible information display part (liquid crystal display part), 3... Visible information (visible image), 11... Transparent electrode substrate, 12... Liquid crystal layer, 1
3... Photoconductive photoreceptor (photoconductor). representative agent

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) It has a liquid crystal display section in which a liquid crystal layer is arranged between a transparent electrode substrate and a photoconductor, and recorded information is recorded as an image by displaying it on the liquid crystal display section, An information recording medium characterized in that recorded information displayed on the liquid crystal display section can be rewritten. (2) An information recording medium having a liquid crystal display section in which a liquid crystal layer is disposed between a transparent electrode substrate and a photoconductor, in which an image to be recorded information is projected onto the liquid crystal layer, and the Displaying the image on the liquid crystal display section by applying a voltage that changes the arrangement state of crystals in the light irradiated part and the non-irradiated part of the liquid crystal layer through the transparent electrode substrate and the photoconductor, An information recording medium characterized in that the information to be recorded is recorded by cutting off the application of the voltage and maintaining the display state on the liquid crystal display section.