JPH0341414A - Identification card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To realize the noncontact type identification card which is extremely low in power consumption and eliminates the need for a start switch, etc., by driving a liquid crystal shutter, which is provided on the internal surface side of a surface plate and turns on and off at all times, with light from a reader and generating characteristic data. CONSTITUTION:The surface plate 1 of the ID card functions as a visible light cutting filter and also functions as a name plate which has a company name, an occupation, an individual name, etc., on the surface, and the liquid crystal shutter 4 formed by stacking a polarizing filter 2 and a liquid crystal plate 3, a retroreflection plate 8, a printed board where a one-chip microcomputer 6 is mounted, and a rear plate are superposed and fixed to form the ID card. When the read light from the card reader 15 is made incident on this card, the light is transmitted through the liquid crystal shutter 4 only while the liquid crystal shutter 4 which is driven according to internal characteristic data is open and then reflected toward the reader 15 by the retroreflection plate 8. Its reflected light is received by the reader to read the characteristic data.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> The present invention can be used to identify a specific individual for the purpose of controlling large-scale exits to a room, or to identify processed products flowing on a factory production line. The present invention relates to an identification card generally referred to as an ID (individual identification) card, which is used for.

<Prior Art> As conventional identification cards of this type, IC cards, radio wave cards, optical cards, etc. are generally used.

An IC card has a built-in IC that stores an information code signal for confidentiality protection, and when connected to a card reader through its own electrodes, it outputs an information code signal in response to read input from the reader. ing.

In addition, both radio-wave cards and Koni cards are almost the same in principle as IC cards, and in response to radio waves or light emitted from the reader, radio waves or light indicating a unique identification code signal are sent to the reader. It is supposed to be sent back.

<Problems to be solved by the invention> However, compared to magnetic cards, which have magnetic information printed on them and are mainly used for cash cards, IC cards can store a large amount of information and are less susceptible to external disturbances. Although it has a small size, it is a contact type that is electrically connected to the reader through an electrode, so it is time-consuming to operate, requires a protection mechanism for the electrode when carried, and has a waterproof function. Since it is difficult to provide, it has drawbacks such as requiring care in handling, and is therefore unreliable.

On the other hand, radio-wave cards have the advantage of being non-contact and can detect the identification code through clothing or walls, so they do not require much effort to operate and can be configured without a power supply. There is a problem that interference with other devices may occur, or the identification code may be detected even in the next room.Also, it consumes a lot of power, so if the battery is used as a power source for the card, the battery will not last for a short period of time. They wear out and have to be replaced frequently, and if you try to avoid this, you will need a battery with a large capacity, and the card itself will become larger.

Furthermore, the previous generation card is a contactless type like the radio wave type, so it has less impact on other devices like the radio wave type, does not interfere with other devices, and has strong directionality, so it can limit the area. However, it is relatively large and heavy due to the fact that the card itself needs to be equipped with transmitting and receiving functions, and because of this, it consumes a lot of power, so it needs to be equipped with a battery power source with a large capacity. However, there is a problem in that running costs are high due to rapid battery consumption.

The present invention was developed in view of these conventional problems, and although it is a non-contact type, the power consumption is extremely low, and there is no need for any starting switches that respond to the reading action from the reading device. The technical problem is to provide an identification card that has no interference or influence on others.

<Means for Solving the Problems> In the present invention, as a technical means for achieving the above-mentioned problems, an identification card is configured as follows. In other words, an identification card that has unique data and is read by a card reading device has a liquid crystal shutter on the inner surface of a surface plate that transmits light, and a light reflecting plate or a light reflecting plate on the rear side of the liquid crystal shutter. The device is characterized in that it includes a light transmitting plate, a memory for storing the unique data, and a control unit that turns on and off the liquid crystal shutter based on the unique data.

<Function> When reading light enters from the card reading device, the light passes through the liquid crystal shutter only when the liquid crystal shutter, which is driven based on unique data, is open, and is reflected back toward the card reading device by the light reflecting plate. be done. Therefore, the card reading device reads the unique data of the identification card using the reflected light. On the other hand, in the case of a light transmitting plate, light passes through the liquid crystal shutter and the light transmitting plate only when the liquid crystal shutter is in an open state, and enters the light receiving section of the card reading device.

This identification card has a simple structure that does not emit any light, radio waves, or sound from itself, so it has a long life and high reliability. Since data is generated, battery consumption is low, and therefore unique data can be constantly generated. A special activation mechanism that is activated by a command from a card reader is not required, and the device can be made lighter and smaller.

Furthermore, since the unique data is read by optical means, there is no interference or adverse effect on others, and the device can be waterproofed and used underwater.

<Example> Hereinafter, preferred examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment of the present invention when applied to a personal identification card for entry/exit control, as seen from the rear, with a front plate 1 and a rear plate 5 disposed between them with a polarizing filter. A liquid crystal shutter 4 formed by superimposing a liquid crystal plate 2 and a liquid crystal plate 3, a retroreflective plate 8, and a printed circuit board 7 on which a one-chip microcomputer 6 is mounted are respectively arranged and fixed from the front.

The surface plate 1 is a transparent acrylic molded product and functions as a visible light cant filter, as shown in FIG.
The company name, job title, and name of the individual are silk-printed on the surface, so it can also function as a name plate.

On the rear surface of the liquid crystal plate 3 constituting the liquid crystal shutter 4, electrode parts 3a and 3b for human power are formed.
, 3b are electrically connected to the cord lines 7A and 7b of the printed circuit board 7 via contact fittings 7c and 7d, respectively, and as a result, the microcomputer 6 is connected to the liquid crystal shutter 4.

A retroreflective surface (not shown) is formed on the front surface of the retroreflector plate 8 . This retroreflective surface will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 9A shows a retroreflector 9 shown to explain the principle of retroreflection, and no matter which part of the right-angled reflecting surface the light is incident on, it will be reflected in the same direction as the incident direction.

This principle is utilized in the retroreflective surface 8a shown in FIG. It is possible to obtain light that is reflected in the same direction as the
Examples of tapes that utilize the retroreflective surface 8a include Scotch tape that can be attached to the rear of a bicycle so that it shines in the headlights of a car.

The rear plate 5 is equipped with a button-shaped lithium battery 10 that serves as a power source.
A storage hole 5a is bored, and a button type battery 1 is inserted into this storage hole 5a.
0 is inserted and the lid 1) is fitted into the storage hole 5a, the battery 10 is held in contact with a pair of battery fittings 12a and 12b attached to the printed circuit board 7, and the battery 10 is held in contact with the microphone computer 6 and the liquid crystal plate 3. Supply power. Also, rear plate 5
The back of the device is equipped with a safety pin 13 and a clip 14 for attachment to a pocket of clothing or the like.

Next, the usage and operation of the identification card IDI will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

First, as shown in FIG. 6, the card reading device 15, which together with the identification card IDI constitutes an entry/exit management system, is installed in a specific room where entry/exit management needs to be controlled, for example, near the door 16 of a computer room. Embed it in the wall. Further, in this embodiment, an infrared passive human body detection device W17 is used as a starting switch for the card reading device 15 at the door 1.
It is installed at the top of 6.

In FIG. 3 showing the block configuration of the identification card IDI and the card identification device 15, the identification card ID
For example, as shown in the figure, a card-specific ID code consisting of a combination of three pulses with a large pulse width and three pulses with a small pulse width is stored in the memory (ROM) of the microcomputer 6 in advance. The microcomputer 6 is supplied with power from a battery 10 and constantly generates an ID code signal as shown in FIG. 5, and turns on and off the liquid crystal shutter 4 based on the ID code through a liquid crystal shutter drive circuit 18. . At this time, the on/off state of the liquid crystal shutter 4, that is, the ID code, cannot be visually recognized from the outside by the surface plate 1 functioning as a visible light cut filter. This identification card IDI is, as shown in FIG.
3 or clip 14 to the chest pocket of the clothes of a person H allowed to enter a specific room, and normally used as a name plate with the personal name written on the surface plate 1.

When the person H who is allowed to enter the room approaches the computer room, the human body detection device 17 first detects the person H who is allowed to enter the room by detecting far infrared rays emitted from the person H who is allowed to enter the room, and outputs a human body detection signal. The card reading device z15 is activated by this human body detection signal. As shown in FIG. 3, this card reading device 15 uses a human body detection signal to generate a signal generator 19
starts and generates a high-frequency clock signal of, for example, IMI (z). Based on this high-frequency clock signal, the light-emitting element driving circuit 20 controls the light-emitting section 21 consisting of an infrared light-emitting diode, and the light-emitting section 21 emits the Figure 4 (al
IMHz high frequency modulated light as shown in the projection lens 22
It is emitted through.

Then, the high-frequency modulated light emitted from the card reading device 15 is projected onto the identification card IDI attached to the chest pocket of the person H who is permitted to enter the room, as shown in FIG. Based on this, the light passes through the liquid crystal shutter 4 only when the liquid crystal shutter 4 is in an open state, and is reflected by the retroreflective surface 8a of the retroreflective plate 8 in the same direction as the incident direction, that is, toward the card reading device 15. This reflected light passes through a condensing lens 23 and is photoelectrically converted by a light receiving section 24 made of a phototransistor, and then is amplified by an amplifier circuit 25 to obtain a received signal as shown in FIG. 4(b). In the same figure (T in bl, N is the ON period of the liquid crystal shutter 4, and T
. FF is the off period. This received signal is a high frequency modulated light of IMHz and, for example, 100! (Since the light is doubly modulated by the ID code of By being detected, the signal is converted into an ID code signal as shown in FIG. If the ID code signal obtained from the received signal is registered in the memory 28, a signal is output from the signal processing circuit 27 to unlock the door 16.
In other words, entry is possible.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show other embodiments of the present invention when applied to the identification of processed products on a factory processing line. In FIG. 8, the same or equivalent parts as in FIG. 3 are given the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be omitted. The identification card ID2 of this embodiment is different from the identification card IDI of the previous embodiment in that the microcomputer 29 is equipped with a readable/writable memory (RAM) and the ID code signal is stored in the memory. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, the card reading device 31 has a slightly different configuration since it only has a light receiving element 30 consisting of a phototransistor for receiving rewritten signals in the corner.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. As shown in FIG. 9, an identification card ID2 is pasted on each workpiece 32, and each workpiece 32 is placed on a belt conveyor 33 and sent to a processing line. At this time, in the identification card ID2, the ID stored in the memory
The liquid crystal shutter 4 is always on/off controlled based on the code signal, and as long as no optical signal is incident on the light receiving element 30, the generation of the ID code by turning on/off the liquid crystal shutter 4 is continued at all times (step Sl).

When the workpiece 32 is moved to a processing position between the rows of the processing machine 34 and stopped, high-frequency modulated light from the card reading device 31 installed opposite to the processing machine 34 is projected onto the identification card ID2, and the same process as described above is performed. The processing procedure stored in the memory of the identification card ID2 is optically read by turning on and off the liquid crystal shutter 4, and the card reading device 31 issues processing instructions to the processing machine 34 based on the read signal. is given, and based on this processing instruction, processing machine 3
4 processes the workpiece 32.

When the processing is completed, a processing completion signal is sent from the processing machine 34 to the card reading device 31, and new data is imprinted into the signal processing circuit 35 consisting of a microcomputer from the central processing control unit 36 that manages each processed data. The signal processing circuit 35 controls the light emitting unit 21 to emit light via the light emitting element drive circuit 20 based on the data, and the rewriting data is converted into light and emitted from the light emitting unit 21,
When this optical signal is photoelectrically converted and received by the light receiving element 30 via the condensing lens 373- of the identification card ID2, it is determined as YES in step S2, and the next received signal is the signal to be newly rewritten. The microcomputer 2 determines whether the signal is for rewriting or not (step S3), and if it is not a rewriting signal, it operates in the same manner as described above and turns on/off the liquid crystal shutter 4 using the ID code stored in the memory.
Although the off state continues, if the signal is for rewriting (1), this signal is newly stored in the memory of the microcomputer 29, and the ID code is rewritten (step S4).

In this way, data regarding the processing, inspection, adjustment, etc. of the workpiece 32 is accumulated in the identification card river D2, so the individual data of each workpiece 32 can be retrieved at any time as needed. Individual management of the workpieces 32 can be performed extremely easily.

Further, Figure 1) shows another control means in the second embodiment, in which the ID code is generated only when an activation signal is input from an external device such as a card reader, thereby further saving power. It is designed to be effective. Normally, generation of an ID code by on/off driving of the liquid crystal shutter 4 is stopped, and whether or not an optical signal is input to the light receiving element 37 is constantly monitored (step S5), and the card reader 31 is stopped facing the card reading device 31. As a result, when the activation signal is emitted from the card reading device 31, this is received by the light receiving element 30, and YES is determined in step S7, and the drive of the liquid crystal shutter 4 is started based on the stored ID code. and generates an ID code (step S8). After the generation of the ID code continues for a predetermined time (step 59), the generation of the ID code is stopped (step 51).

Then, when the processing using the above-mentioned ID code is completed and a rewriting optical signal is emitted from the card reading device 31,
When this is received by the light receiving element 30 and is determined to be a signal for rewriting the ID code (step S6), the ID code in the memory is rewritten (step S6).
Step 510) repeats the same operation.

Note that the present invention is not limited only to the contents of the above description and drawings, and may include various modifications without departing from the scope of the claims. For example, although a case has been described in which a battery is used as a power source, since a liquid crystal shutter with extremely low power consumption is driven, a solar cell can be embedded in the surface and used as a power source. In addition, the card reading device
If the light emitting part and the light receiving part are of the type facing each other, the retroreflector 8 is excluded and the rear plate 5 is
may be constructed from a transparent light transmitting plate.

<Effects of the Invention> As described above, the identification card of the present invention has a simple structure that does not emit any light, radio waves, or sound from itself, so it has a long life and high reliability. Since unique data is generated using the drive of a liquid crystal shutter with extremely low consumption, battery consumption is low.As a result, it is possible to create a configuration that constantly generates unique data. No starting mechanism is required, and the device can be made lighter and smaller. Furthermore, since the unique data is read by optical means, there is no interference or adverse effect on others, and the device can be waterproofed and used underwater.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment as seen from the front, Fig. 3 is a block configuration diagram including a card reading device thereof, and Fig. 4 is a card reading device thereof. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the device; FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing how it is used; FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of its reflective surface; FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the state of use thereof; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of the control means 1-1 1) FIG. 1) is a flowchart of other control means It is. 7 9 1 One surface display 11 Liquid crystal shell microcomputer (1 fff1 part) Retroreflector (light reflector) Card reader patent Applicant Optesox Co., Ltd.
Patent Attorney Nishi 1) New L-m = 1 Procedural Amendment Flat Bottom 1 Year Patent Application No. 176020 2゜Name of Invention Distinctiveness 〇3゜Amendment Person Name Optex Co., Ltd. Representative Toru Kobayashi 4, Agent Address: 15-13 Usagano-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka City 6゜Specification subject to amendment 7゜Contents of amendment As per the attached sheet/, ＼ Contents of amendment (1) “No power supply” on page 3, line 7 of the specification "Configuration" is corrected to "No-electrode configuration". (2) "Transparent" in the 15th line of page 6 is corrected to "transparent to infrared rays." (3) “IM” from line 5 to line 6 on page 10
A clock signal of rlOkllz is generated to correct the high frequency of llz to this value. (4) The high-frequency modulated light of r
100kHz modulated light. (5) Page 10, line 12 to line 9 of the same page, line 1 of the same page
The "high frequency modulated light" described in the 15th line of page 0 and the 4th line of page 13 are corrected to "modulated light". (6) Correct the "high frequency clock signal" in the 8th line to the 9th line of the page 1) to a "clock signal". ■

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In an identification card that has unique data and is read by a card reading device, a liquid crystal shutter is provided on the inner surface of the surface plate that transmits light, and a light reflecting plate is provided on the rear side of the liquid crystal shutter. Alternatively, an identification card comprising a light transmitting plate, a memory for storing the unique data, and a control unit that turns on and off the liquid crystal shutter based on the unique data. .