JPH068681A - Ic card and production thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To more reduce the number of assembling parts and the number of assembling processes in the production of an IC card. CONSTITUTION:In the production of an IC card receiving an electric circuit board 20 having circuit parts 23 containing integrated circuits arranged therein, the IC card is equipped with a card like sheet composed of a conductive material, a resin frame member 12 having the shape fitted to the contour shape of said sheet and the resin spacer member provided in the frame member 12 and having recessed parts 13, 14, 15 fitted to the outer shapes of the circuit parts 23 of the electric circuit board. The IC card is produced by a process integrally performing the insert molding of the sheet and the respective members by injection molding to form a housing, a process bonding the electric circuit board 20 to the housing so that the circuit parts 23 are embedded in the recessed parts 13, 14, 15 and a process fixing the cardlike conductive panel 30 covering the electric circuit board 20 to the housing.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an IC card which houses an electric circuit board on which circuit elements including an integrated circuit are arranged, and an IC card manufactured by the manufacturing method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, cards represented by magnetic cards have become widespread in social life and are also called card society. An IC card having a built-in integrated circuit has attracted attention as a card having a storage capacity larger than that of a magnetic card, higher security, and higher and more complex functionality.

IC cards having various shapes and appearances are made. For example, there are a microprocessor having a built-in function and an arithmetic function, and a microprocessor having no microprocessor but having an IC memory and having only a memory function.

FIG. 5 shows the appearance of an IC memory card as an example of the IC card. The IC memory card of FIG. 5 has a built-in electric circuit board in which an integrated circuit is arranged inside a card-shaped package 1, and a switch 2 is externally provided from the package 1.
And the connector 3 having the connection terminal formed therein is exposed.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which main constituent parts of the IC memory card when the IC memory card as shown in FIG. 5 is manufactured by a conventional technique are disassembled. 4, 5 in FIG.
Is a panel that constitutes the front and back surfaces of the card, and is usually made of a conductive material to serve as a shield that protects the electric circuit board from external electrical noise and static electricity.

Reference numeral 6 denotes an electric circuit board. A plurality of memory ICs 61, gate array ICs 62, and chip parts 63 are arranged on one surface of an insulating board 60 as shown in the drawing, and are connected by printed wiring 64 on the board. Further, a switch 2 for writing-protecting a memo and a connector 3 for connecting an external device are attached to the substrate 60.

A frame 7 made of resin serves to connect the upper and lower panels 4 and 5 and to house the electric circuit board 6 inside the frame to serve as a strength member as a package of the IC card.

A spacer 8 made of resin is arranged between the electric circuit board 6 and the upper panel 4. The spacer 8 supports between the upper and lower panels 4 and 5, maintains the shape of the package against pressure and impact from the outside at the time of thermocompression bonding, and protects the IC and other components arranged on the electric circuit board 6. Have a role to play.

Therefore, the spacers 8 are arranged in a skewed shape or in a grid pattern so that the spacers 8 contact the portions of the electric circuit board 6 where the circuit components are not disposed, as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. A beam is formed in a shape. Of course, the shape of the spacer 8 and the arrangement state of the circuit components of the electric circuit board 6 are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and it goes without saying that the shape of the spacer 8 is determined according to the arrangement state of the circuit components of the electric circuit board 6. Nor.

There are roughly two methods of assembling the conventional IC memory card package, that is, the housing structure. One of them is a method of assembling the components of the frame 7, the spacer 8, the electric circuit board 6, and the panels 4 and 5 and adhering the components together.

The other is a method in which the frame 7 and one of the panels 5 are insert-molded to form an integrated structure, and the electric circuit board 6, the spacers 8 and the panel 4 are adhered to each other and assembled.

[0012]

An IC according to the prior art
In the method of manufacturing a memory card, the number of parts is large because the frame 7 and the spacer 8 are separate parts. Therefore, of course, the number of assembling steps increases, the number of adhering steps is large, and the number of times of positioning the parts at the time of assembling is large. There is a demand for a method of manufacturing an IC card that has a smaller number of manufacturing steps and high productivity.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IC card manufacturing method which can reduce the number of assembling parts and the number of assembling steps, and an IC card manufactured by the method.

[0014]

A method of manufacturing an IC card according to the present invention is a method of manufacturing an IC card in which an electric circuit board on which a circuit element including an integrated circuit is arranged is housed in a card-shaped sheet of conductive material. Injection of a resin material frame member having a shape conforming to the contour shape of the sheet and a spacer member in the frame member, the resin material spacer member having a concave portion conforming to the outer shape of the circuit element of the electric circuit board. A step of integrally insert-molding to form a housing, a step of coupling the electric circuit board with the housing so that the circuit element is buried in the recess, and a card-like shape that further covers the electric circuit board. Fixing the conductive panel to the housing.

Further, the IC card according to the present invention has an electric circuit board on which circuit elements including an integrated circuit are arranged, a card-like sheet of conductive material, and a contour shape which is in close contact with the sheet and conforms to the sheet shape. The resin material frame member and a resin material member integrally molded with a resin material spacer member having a recess that fits the outer shape of the circuit element of the electric circuit board and has the circuit element embedded therein are joined together to form the electric circuit board. And a card-shaped conductive panel that covers the electric circuit board and is fixed to the housing.

[0016]

[Function] A card-shaped sheet of conductive material is used as a panel,
By integrally forming a member that functions as a frame and a spacer with a resin material, and simultaneously joining the sheet and the resin material member, each of the panel 5, the frame 7, and the spacer 8 shown in FIG. Create a housing that integrates the functions of the components at once. In the subsequent assembling process, the housing, the electric circuit board, and the one conductive panel are only fixed to each other, so that the number of parts to be assembled and the number of steps are reduced.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a method for manufacturing an IC card according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of main parts for explaining an assembling method of an IC memory card according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a housing formed by a panel 11 made of a stainless steel material of SUS304 and a resin member 12 made of a molding resin material such as PC (polycarbonate).

Reference numeral 20 is an electric circuit board similar to that shown by reference numeral 6 in FIG. 4, and 6 on FIG.
Circuit elements similar to are arranged. In order to clearly show the structure of the embodiment, the electric circuit board 20 is shown upside down as opposed to the case of FIG. 4, but the structure is basically the same. In addition, 21 is a switch, 22 is a terminal for external connection, and 23 is a circuit component such as an IC.

Reference numeral 30 denotes the other panel, which is panel 1
Made of the same material as 1. The size (area) of the electric circuit board 20 is made smaller than the size (area) of the housing 10 and the panel 30, and a margin for bonding the housing 10 and the panel 30 is provided in the periphery.

The manufacturing process of the housing 10 will be further described. A resin member 12 is injection-molded on the panel 11 by using a resin material such as PBT.
14 and 15 and two appropriate through holes 16 at the corners are formed, and insert molding is performed together with the panel 11.

As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 2, the edge portion of the panel 11 to be inserted is bent into a U shape twice by 90 °, and the bent tip end bites the resin member 12 to make the panel 1
1 is surely connected to the resin member 12. The height of the bent portion of the tip of the panel 11 is about 1 mm. This height may be determined as an appropriate value in consideration of the thickness of the resin member 12.

The recess 13 of the resin member 12 is formed in the electric circuit board 2
It is formed so as to fit the shape of the circuit component 23 such as an IC arranged on the 0. That is, when the electric circuit board 20 is combined with the housing 10 in the direction of the arrow in FIG.
As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 1, the recess 13 is selected in such a shape that the circuit component 23 is embedded in the recess 13.

The concave portion 14 is a dent for arranging the switch 21, and the concave portion 15 is a dent for arranging the connector 22. Therefore, the housing 10 has the functions of the panel 4, the frame 7 and the spacer 8 in FIG. 4 as an integrated structure.

The housing 10 is prepared, and then the electric circuit board 20 and the panel 30 are assembled to assemble an IC memory card. First, the coil springs 17 made of a conductive material are inserted into the through holes 16 formed at two positions of the resin member 12 of the housing 10. This coil spring 1
2 is electrically connected to the panel 11 by pressure welding.

Next, the circuit parts and switches,
The electric circuit board 20 completed by installing the connectors and the like is arranged on the housing 10 in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The electric circuit board 20 is also provided with a through hole for passing the coil spring 12.

When arranging the electric circuit board 20 on the housing 10, the switch 21 and the connector 22 are recessed 1
4 and the concave portion 15 are aligned with each other. When thermocompression bonding is performed, an adhesive material is essentially unnecessary between the electric circuit board 20 and the resin member 12, but an adhesive material may be used if necessary.

Next, a heat-sensitive adhesive is applied to the periphery of the back surface of the panel 30 having a predetermined design printed on the front surface, and if necessary, an insulating coating material is applied to the area on the back surface in contact with the electric circuit board 20. After that, the electric circuit board 20 is sandwiched in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the electric circuit board 20 is sandwiched between the housing 10 and the housing 10.

At this time, the coil spring 17 electrically connects between the upper and lower panels 11 and 30, and the panels 11 and 3 are electrically connected.
0 serves as a shield of the electric circuit board 20. The coil spring 12 may also be connected to the ground conductor on the electric circuit board 20. Since the panel 11 is insert-formed, the design of the surface is performed by assembling the package and then sticking a seal on which the design is printed.

Although the electric circuit board in the above-described embodiment has the circuit components mounted on one side, the present invention can be applied to the case where the circuit components are mounted on both sides. Further, the embodiment is an IC
Although the memory card is taken as an example, the present invention can be applied to an IC card having a built-in microprocessor. Although the case where PBT is used as the resin has been described, other types of resin such as polycarbonate and ABS may be used.

It is needless to say that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and applications from the disclosed contents.

[0032]

According to the present invention, a card-shaped sheet of a conductive material is used as a panel, and a member that functions as a frame and a spacer is integrally molded with the sheet by using a resin material, whereby the panel, the frame and the spacer are formed. Create a housing that integrates the functions of each part. Therefore, in the subsequent assembling process, only the housing, the electric circuit board, and the one conductive panel are fixed to each other.

Therefore, the number of parts to be assembled and the number of steps are reduced. The structure is simplified and the man-hours are reduced to improve the product quality and productivity.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of parts of an IC memory card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of an IC memory card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of an IC memory card according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of parts of an IC memory card according to a conventional technique.

FIG. 5 is a completed external view of an IC memory card.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ... Package (of IC memory card) 2 ... Switch 3 ... Connector 10 ... Housing 11 ... Panel 12 ... Resin member 13, 14, 15 ... Recess 16 Through hole 17 Coil spring 20 Electric circuit board 21 Switch 22 Connector 23 Circuit component 30 ··panel

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Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing an IC card, which houses an electric circuit board on which circuit elements including an integrated circuit are arranged, wherein a card-shaped sheet of a conductive material and a resin material frame member having a shape conforming to the contour shape of the sheet. And a spacer member in the frame member, which is a resin material spacer member having a recess conforming to the outer shape of the circuit element of the electric circuit board, is integrally insert-molded by injection molding to form a housing. And a step of coupling the electric circuit board to the housing so that the circuit element is buried in the recess, and a step of fixing a card-shaped conductive panel covering the electric circuit board to the housing. Card manufacturing method. 2. The method of manufacturing an IC card according to claim 1, wherein the conductive material sheet is a sheet made of a stainless material, and at least a part of the resin material is a member made of polycarbonate. 3. The method of manufacturing an IC card according to claim 1, wherein the conductive panel has an insulating film formed on a surface facing the electric circuit board, and is fixed to the housing by thermocompression bonding. 4. The circuit element of the electric circuit board includes a connector for electrical connection to the outside and a switch for write protection to a memory, and the resin material frame member and the resin material spacer member are provided with the switch. Is formed with a concave portion conforming to the outer shapes of the connector and the switch, and when the electric circuit board is coupled with the housing, the concave portion matching the connector and the switch is used as a reference for the electric circuit board. The method of manufacturing an IC card according to claim 1, wherein the housing is positioned. 5. An electric circuit board on which a circuit element including an integrated circuit is arranged, a card-shaped sheet of a conductive material, a resin material frame member having a contour shape which is in close contact with the sheet and conforms to the sheet shape, A housing for mounting the electric circuit board, which is combined with a resin material member integrally molded with a resin material spacer member having a concave portion in which the circuit element is embedded and which conforms to the outer shape of the circuit element of the electric circuit board, and An IC card having a card-shaped conductive panel that covers an electric circuit board and is fixed to the housing.