JPH0664634B2 - IC card reader / writer lock mechanism - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism of an IC card reader / writer, and particularly when an IC card is mounted in a mounting position in the reader / writer, it can be mechanically and securely locked in that position.
The present invention relates to a lock mechanism of an IC card reader / writer.

[Prior Art] Today, an IC card in which an IC having a function of a memory or a CPU is built in and configured in a card shape is widely used. Generally, this IC card is provided with an IC electrical contact on the outer surface of the card as a means for reading and writing data,
There is used a reader / writer configured to supply electric power to an IC card that is in contact with these electric contacts and exchange data signals.

The use of this type of IC card has been expanded with the increase in memory capacity, and it can be used not only as various business cards for personal use, but also as a memory medium for program control systems in various industries easily and effectively. It's being used. Since the frequency of use of such IC cards is increasing and the environment in which they are used is also susceptible to external contamination and damage, it is necessary to deteriorate the electrical contacts and transfer appropriate data signals. There is a difficulty that you cannot

From such a viewpoint, a field for vibration energy due to a high-frequency electromagnetic field or ultrasonic waves is provided in the space, and the energy of this field is absorbed,
By rectifying and using it as a DC power supply, there is no need for a built-in battery or power supply contacts in the IC card, and a coupler such as an antenna or coil is used to exchange various data signals with the reader / writer. IC this coupler
An IC card system has been proposed in which all electrical contacts exposed to the outside of the IC card are omitted by embedding it in the proper place of the card, and the electrical connection between the IC card and the reader / writer is non-contact (for example, (Kaisho 58-154082 publication).

In order to efficiently supply power to the IC card and input data signals when coupling the IC card that employs such a non-contact coupling method with the reader / writer, the coupler and reader / writer provided in the IC card should be used. It is desired that the position alignment with the coupler provided at the position is performed.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

Therefore, when the IC card that adopts such a non-contact coupling method and the reader / writer are coupled, the IC card is inserted in the proper state with respect to the reader / writer, so that the front and back of the IC card and the insertion direction can be discriminated. Can be printed on the IC card, while a reader / writer side can be provided with an insertion position defining frame for properly positioning the IC card.

However, as described above, even if the IC card has a print display for proper insertion into the reader / writer,
The operator may make an incorrect insertion due to an error, and in such a case, the reader / writer side needs a means for discriminating the proper positioning state of the IC card.

Further, the reader / writer is provided with means for determining the state of the IC card only when the IC card is in an appropriate positioning state and fixing and holding the IC card immovably.
It is necessary to supply power to the card and exchange data signals.

Therefore, these discriminating means and fixed holding means have to have a complicated structure using electrical, mechanical or optical means, respectively. In such a conventional structure, the reader / writer and the IC card are If the IC card moves due to some obstacle during the sending and receiving of the signal, the electrical connection will be cut off.
There is a problem that the memory in the IC card is lost or the system is destroyed. Furthermore, the conventional configuration has a drawback that the manufacturing cost of the reader / writer increases significantly.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to further simplify the identification for the IC card reader / writer to always insert the IC card in a proper fixed direction, and to position the IC card at the proper insertion position. Another object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reader / writer lock mechanism capable of smoothly and easily holding and fixing the IC card reader / writer.

[Means for Solving the Problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the lock mechanism of the IC card reader / writer according to the present invention has an IC card having a memory function and an air-core input coil and an output coil respectively provided as a signal input unit and a signal output unit. When the IC card is inserted / removed and the IC card is inserted / removed, in combination with a reader / writer for electromagnetically coupling the input coil and the output coil of the air core to read and write information, the IC card In addition to providing a notch at the side edge of the IC card, the reader / writer is provided with a sub-chassis for guiding and inserting the IC card to a predetermined position, and a protective cover plate fixed on the sub-chassis. A slide plate that engages with the tip of the card to advance to a predetermined position together with the IC card and has a return elasticity is provided, and the IC card is predetermined at one side edge of the lid plate. When a position is reached, a cutout portion corresponding to the cutout portion provided in the IC card is provided, and a locking pin is provided at one end so as to elastically engage with the cutout portion of the IC card in a state corresponding to the cutout portion. A lock pin that elastically engages with the engaging portion at one end when the slide plate is in the IC card mounting position. A lock lever having a lock lever is pivotally mounted on the protective cover plate, and an eject lever for releasing the mounted state of the IC card by engaging with the other ends of the lever member and the lock lever is provided. And

[Action]

According to the lock mechanism of the IC card reader / writer according to the present invention, by the insertion operation of the IC card provided with the notches at the asymmetrical positions of the both side edges in the longitudinal direction, the tip of the IC card engages with the slide plate, Move forward together with the slide plate to the specified position.

In this case, when the IC card advances to a predetermined position, the IC card notch and the cutout provided on the protective cover plate correspond to each other, and the IC card notch at the position corresponding to this cutout corresponds to one side edge of the IC card. The locking pin of the lever member that constantly presses is engaged, and at the same time, the engagement portion formed in the guide hole of the slide plate and the lock pin of the lock lever engage.

This makes it impossible to insert the IC card in an improper state because the notches do not match, and it is possible to insert it in the specified position only in the proper state, and it becomes possible to mechanically detect the IC card. The IC card is mechanically and securely locked and held in a predetermined mounting portion, so that it is possible to more reliably achieve the exchange of signals with the IC card.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment of a lock mechanism of an IC card reader / writer according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in relation to a reader / writer suitable for use of this IC card.

1 and 2 show an embodiment of a lock mechanism of an IC card reader / writer according to the present invention.

As the IC card used in the present invention, the one configured as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is applied.

First, in FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 10 indicates an IC card, and a printed circuit 12 having a memory / arithmetic element composed of a single or a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits therein.
Is provided. The IC card 10 also has an air-core input coil 14 for receiving electric power from the outside and inputting a required data signal, and an empty coil for outputting a required data signal from the printed circuit 12 to the outside. Core output coil 16
, Respectively, are incorporated in proper positions separated from the printed circuit. The input coil 14 and the output coil 16 are connected to the printed circuit 12 by lead wires 18, respectively. In the IC card 10 configured in this manner, a space capable of accommodating the printed circuit 12, the input coil 14, the output coil 16 and the lead wire 18 is provided in advance on the synthetic resin substrate, and each of the spaces corresponding to these spaces is provided. After the components are mounted, they can be easily molded by coating with a synthetic resin coating material by a known laminating method or joining method.

However, in the present invention, the IC having the above-mentioned configuration
The card 10 is characterized in that notches 20 and 22 are formed on both side edges of the card 10 in the longitudinal direction, respectively. These notches
20 and 22 are provided at asymmetrical positions with being offset from each other. In this way, by providing a plurality of notches 20 and 22, a plurality of detection mechanisms that can be mechanically fitted in the notches 20 and 22 are provided, and thereby the position for determining the proper state of the IC card 10 is determined. The detection is performed and the IC card 10 is mechanically fixed and held. That is, in the IC card 10 of this embodiment, the input coils having different functions are provided.
The left and right coils 14 and 16 are built asymmetrically, and are compatible with the corresponding input / output means provided in the reader / writer only in a fixed state (the front side of the IC card and the insertion direction into the reader / writer are determined). become. So, for example, IC
If you want to insert the card 10 into the reader / writer in the opposite direction, with the back side facing up or in the opposite direction, insert the IC card
The pair of cutouts 2 in the final installed position of 10
0, 22 and each detection mechanism do not match, the IC card 10 is returned to the insertion start position without determining the improper state of the IC card and fixing and holding the IC card.

Next, a reader / writer having a detection mechanism having the above-described configuration and adapted to the IC card of the present invention will be described.

First, as a basic configuration of the reader / writer, as shown in FIG. 5, a transmission coil 30 for supplying electric power and a data signal to an input coil 14 of the IC card 10 and an output coil 16 of the IC card 10 are used. And a receiving coil 32 for reading data, the transmitting coil 30 is connected to a driving circuit 36, and the receiving coil 32 is connected to a receiving circuit 38. Therefore, the reader / writer configured in this way is
When 32 and the output coil 16 of the IC card and the transmission coil 30 and the input coil 14 of the IC card properly face each other, a detection mechanism is provided so as to correspond to the notches 20 and 22 provided in the IC card 10, respectively. By providing the IC card, the determination of the proper state of the IC card and the fixed holding of the IC card can be achieved smoothly and reliably.

The lock mechanism of the IC card reader / writer shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is provided with a detection mechanism having a function of detecting the mounting state of the IC card at the proper position.

That is, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a planar structure of an essential part of the IC card mounting portion, each showing a state after mounting the IC card.

In the figure, reference numeral 40 indicates an insertion portion for storing and holding the IC card 10 at a predetermined position, and a sub chassis 44 having guide side plates 42, 42 configured as shown in FIG. 2 is provided on the lower side thereof. At the same time, a protective cover plate 46 is provided on the upper surface thereof. The sub-chassis 44 is attached to the main chassis made of aluminum, which constitutes the whole, and is fixedly arranged with the protective cover plate 46 through a coupling device as appropriate. The protective lid plate 46 is provided with a notch 50 at its tip portion, and this notch 50 is formed as a guide groove of a tip engaging portion 52 of a slide plate 54 described later.

Accordingly, the slide plate 54 is arranged on the upper surface of the protective lid plate 46 and has a plurality of guide grooves 56 in the same direction as the IC card 10 is inserted.
The guide pins 56 are fitted in the guide grooves 56, and the stopper pins 58 fixed to the protective cover plate 46 are fitted into the guide grooves 56 so as to be slidable.

In this case, one end of the coil spring 60 is locked to a part of the slide plate 54 and a part of the protective cover plate 46 to cause the slide plate 54 to retain the return elasticity. The one side edge of the slide plate 54 is set inward of the one side edge of the protective cover plate 46. In this case, the IC is not
In the state where the card is completely attached (see FIG. 1), a cutout portion 62 is provided at a portion where the cutout portion 20 of the IC card is located, and the cutout portion 62 is inwardly moved from the outside by an elastic force of a spring 64 ( Lock pin 66 that fits into the notch 20 of the IC card 10)
And a lever member 68 having Furthermore, in order to secure and hold the IC card 10 more securely, an L-shaped lock lever 98 is pivotally mounted on the protective cover plate 46 at one side edge of the slide plate 54 through a stop pin 99, one end of which is provided. Lock pin 10 on the bottom
2 is provided and an elongated hole 104 is formed at the other end. An engaging portion is provided at one end of the tip end of the slide plate 54 on the lock lever 98 side.
A guide hole 48 having 100 is provided so that the lock pin 102 of the lock lever 98 elastically engages with the engaging portion 100 by the action of a spring described later when the IC card 10 is in the mounting position.

On the other hand, an auxiliary cutting portion 84 is provided on the other side edge portion of the protective cover plate 46 corresponding to the other notch portion 22 provided on the IC card 10, and a locking piece 86 is provided at one end of the auxiliary cutting portion 84. Coil spring 88
An auxiliary lock lever 90, which is fitted against the elastic force of, is pivotally mounted on the protective cover plate 46.

Then, the notch step portion 96 at the front side edge of the slide plate 54 is arranged so as to face the locking pin 92 provided at the other end of the auxiliary lock lever 90.

With this configuration, the tip of the IC card 10 engages with the locking portion 52 of the slide plate 54, the slide plate 54 moves forward together with the IC card 10, and the IC card 10 reaches a predetermined tip position. As a result, the notch step portion 96 of the slide plate 54 abuts on the locking pin 92 of the auxiliary lock lever 90 and presses and displaces it, and at the same time, the locking piece 86 of the auxiliary lock lever 90 causes the IC
The IC card 10 can be fixedly held from both sides together with the lock pin 66 by fitting into the notch 22 of the card 10. In this case, the limit switch 78 can be arranged as shown in the figure, and the actuator 80 thereof can be configured to be operated by the locking piece 94 protruding from the other side edge portion of the slide plate 54.
Therefore, if the IC card 10 does not have a portion corresponding to the cutout portion 22, the displacement of the auxiliary lock lever 90 is blocked and the forward movement of the slide plate 54 is blocked.

As a result, the limit switch 78 is never operated and the insertion of the IC card 10 can be prohibited.

Next, a detection mechanism for detecting a state in which the IC card is mounted will be described. The limit switch 78, which constitutes a part of this detection mechanism, is provided on the other edge of the slide plate 54, and the other edge of the slide plate 54 is moved by the forward movement of the slide plate 54 that cooperates with the insertion of the IC card 10. The notched stepped portion 96 provided in the section and the locking pin 92 of the auxiliary lock lever 90 contact each other, and the lock lever 90 is pivoted counterclockwise to lock the locking piece 86.
The IC card 10 is fitted in the notch 22 to electrically detect this state. That is, the pivotal movement of the lock lever 90 advances the slide plate 54 to a predetermined position, and this advance operation causes the locking piece 94 to abut the actuator 80 of the limit switch 78, turning the limit switch 78 ON to operate the reader / writer. The operation is started, and an eject lever 82, which is a card ejecting device described later, is locked by a power ON signal from an external device. However, this limit switch 78 is used to detect the IC card installation status.
Only when the card 10 is completely attached to the proper position of the reader / writer, the electrical detection can be performed only after mechanically detecting the notches 20 and 22 of the IC card. Writing becomes reliable, and an interlock that prevents the IC card from being removed during read / write prevents erroneous operations.

Next, an embodiment of an IC card removal preventing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the IC card ejecting device removes the IC card 10 fixedly held in the IC card mounting portion,
By pressing the eject lever 82 in the direction of the arrow,
Return the lever member 68 to the outside and lock the locking pin 66 to the IC card.
Release from the notch 20 of 10. At the same time, the lock pin 102 of the lock lever 98 is also released from the engaging portion 100 of the slide plate 54, and the slide plate 54 is configured to return by the elastic action of the coil spring 60. .

More specifically, an eject lever 82 is provided in parallel with the side surface of the sub-chassis 44 in the direction of the arrow so as to be able to move forward and backward while being guided by the pin 112 in the guide groove 110. Also, the stop pin
Locking pin 11 provided near the head of 112 and one end of guide groove 110
A spring 116 is stretched on 4 to urge the eject lever 82 outward. Further, the locking pin 114
The elongated hole 104 of the lock lever 98 is engaged with this. Also,
A locking piece 118 is formed at the leading end of the eject lever 82 on the entry side, and a square hole 120 is provided inside thereof.

A pin 122, which is planted below the operating portion 124 of the lever member 68, is loosely fitted in the square hole 120.

It should be noted that, when the IC card 10 is inserted, the square hole 120 does not exert a force on the eject lever 82 even if the lever member 68 pivots due to contact with the side edge of the IC card 10 when the slide plate is moved. It is something to do. As shown in FIG. 1, when the IC card 10 is in the mounted state, the pin 122 of the lever member 68 has the square hole 120.
Is in contact with one end of the.

Therefore, when the eject lever 82 is manually pushed in the direction of the arrow, the lever member 68 pivots counterclockwise against the biasing force of the spring 64, and the locking pin 66 is disengaged from the notch 20 of the IC card.

Further, at the same time, the lock pin 102 of the auxiliary lock lever 98 also disengages from the engaging portion 100 of the guide hole 48 of the slide plate 54. As a result, the auxiliary lock lever 90 is released from the engagement with the notch step portion 96 of the slide plate 54 by a slight backward movement of the slide plate 54. The IC card 10 is separated from the other notch 22 and is returned to the insertion start position by the action of the spring 60 on the IC card insertion side together with the slide plate 54, so that the IC card 10 can be taken out.

Next, the IC card removal prevention device will be described in relation to the eject lever 82.

Even if the IC card 10 is mounted in the IC card mounting section of the reader / writer in an appropriate state and is mechanically fixed and held, the IC card 10 is electrically connected to the IC card and cannot be read or written during execution of information. If you press the eject lever 82 easily, the IC card will move and the electrical connection will be cut off.
The memory in the card may be lost or the system may be destroyed.

Therefore, during the execution of the read / write of the IC card, a power ON signal from the external device is started, and during that time, the movement of the eject lever 82 is locked by the interlock means.

That is, as shown in FIG. 1, a drive source 126 that is operated by the excitation of a solenoid, which is an interlock means, is provided at a position facing the locking piece 118 at the tip of the eject lever 82. A swingable lock lever 128 is provided between the drive source 126 and the eject lever 82. The lock lever 128 is pivotally supported at its center by a pin 130, one end of which is pivotally supported by an operating rod 132 which is moved forward and backward by the drive source 126, and a stopper pin 134 is planted at the other end. Further, the other end of the lock lever 128 is urged by a spring 136 toward the sub chassis 44 (in a direction away from the locking piece 118).

Therefore, when the IC card 10 is mounted at a predetermined position, the auxiliary lock lever 90 pivots by mechanical interlocking with the forward movement of the slide plate 54, as described above, and thus the slide plate 54 is moved.
The movement of the lock piece 94 causes the limit switch 78 to operate, and this signal causes the read / write execution to start, and the power ON signal from an external device causes the solenoid of the drive source 126 to be excited. The operating rod 132 retracts. This backward movement causes the lock lever 128 to swing, and the stopper pin 1
34 is located at a position immediately adjacent to the locking piece 118 of the eject lever 82 (position indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 1).

As a result, the forward movement of the eject lever 82 is blocked by the stopper pin 134 to be in the locked state, and the malfunction of the reader / writer can be reliably prevented.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above-described embodiments, according to the lock mechanism of the IC card reader / writer according to the present invention, by providing the IC card with the notch at the side edge,
When inserting the card into the IC card mounting part of the reader / writer, advance the IC card together with the slide plate with the return elasticity, and at the specified position insert the locking pin of the lever member into the notch of the IC card to mount the IC card. The state can be detected. At the same time, by engaging the lock pin of the lock lever pivotally mounted on the protective cover plate with the engaging portion of the guide hole provided in the slide plate, it is possible to easily and reliably achieve the fixed holding of the IC card. it can. As a result, a drive source for holding and holding the IC card is not required, power consumption can be saved, the configuration can be simplified, the device can be downsized, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a lock mechanism of an IC card reader / writer according to the present invention, and is a plan view of essential parts showing a state in which an IC card is mounted, and FIG. 2 shows a substrate with a protective cover plate removed. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main part of the state, FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of the IC card according to the present invention, FIG. 4 is a plan view of the IC card shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of an IC card according to the present invention and a reader / writer corresponding to the IC card. 10 …… IC card, 12 …… Printed circuit 14 …… Input coil, 16 …… Output coil 18 …… Lead wire, 20,22 …… Notch 30 …… Transmission coil, 32 …… Reception coil 36 …… Transmission Circuit, 38 ... Receiving circuit 40 ... Insertion port, 42 ... Guide side plate 44 ... Sub chassis, 46 ... Protective cover plate 48 ... Guide hole, 50 ... Notch 52 ... Locking part, 54 ... … Sliding plate 56 …… Guide groove, 58 …… Stopping pin 60 …… Coil spring, 62 …… Releasing part 64 …… Spring, 66 …… Locking pin 68 …… Lever member, 78 …… Limit switch 80 …… Actuator, 82 ...... Eject lever 84 ...... Auxiliary cutting part, 86 …… Locking piece 88 …… Spring, 90 …… Auxiliary lock lever 92 …… Locking pin, 94 …… Locking piece 96 …… Notch step Part, 98 ... Lock lever 99 ... Stop pin, 100 ... Engagement part 102 ... Lock pin, 104 ... Oblong hole 110 ... Guide groove, 112 ... Stop pin 114 ... Lock pin 116 …… Spring 118 …… Locking piece, 120 …… Square hole 122 …… Pin, 124 …… Operating part 126 …… Drive source, 128 …… Lock lever 130 …… Pin, 132 …… Operating rod 134 ...... Stopper pin, 136 ...... Spring

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An IC card having a memory function and provided with an air core input coil and an output coil as a signal input means and a signal output means, respectively, and the IC card is inserted and removed,
At the time of inserting the IC card, in combination with a reader / writer that reads and writes information by electromagnetically coupling the air-core input coil and the output coil, a cutout is provided at a side edge of the IC card. At the same time, the reader / writer is provided with a sub-chassis for guiding and inserting the IC card to a predetermined position and a protective lid plate fixed on the sub-chassis, and the upper surface of the protective lid plate is engaged with the tip of the IC card to A slide plate provided with a return elasticity that advances to a predetermined position together with the IC card is provided, and a cutout portion corresponding to a cutout portion provided on the IC card when the IC card reaches a predetermined position at one edge of the lid plate. And a lever member having a locking pin at one end for elastically engaging the notch of the IC card that is in correspondence with the cutout, and further, at the one end of the slide plate, an engaging part is provided. Have A lock lever having an inner hole and a lock pin elastically engaged with the engaging portion at one end when the slide plate is at the IC card mounting position is pivotally mounted on the protective cover plate, and the lever member is provided. And a lock mechanism for an IC card reader / writer, which is provided with an eject lever for engaging the respective other ends of the lock levers to release the mounted state of the IC card.