JPH11161746A - Information recording and reproducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly reliably record/reproduce data without feeding a card into a device by optically recording/reproducing data through a light-transmissive window provided on a card placing face and bringing an IC recording/ reproducing means provided in a cover for covering the placing face or the placing face into contact with IC of the card thereby recording/reproducing information. SOLUTION: A recessed part 301 provided on the upper face of a device casing is used as the card placing face and two faces 302 and 303 in the inner faces are used as positioning faces. The light-transmissive window 305 is provided at the area corresponding to an optical recording layer. The cover 307 which can turn around a spindle 306 is provided at the upper part of the casing. When the cover 307 is closed, an elastic member 307 pushes the card onto the bottom face of the recessed part 301 to hold it. A detector 311 is arranged in the recessed part 301 to confirm that the card is placed. A recording/ reproducing head for IC module 312 is provided on the bottom face the recessed part 301 in addition to the light-transmissive window 305, and an optical head 200 which can be driven in a horizontal face is incorporated in the device.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus capable of recording and / or reproducing information on a card provided with a plurality of information recording media including an optical recording layer and an IC.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information recording media are in the form of tapes, disks, cards, and the like, and are used according to the purpose. Among them, cards have excellent storage and portability. It is widely used mainly for applications such as cash cards. They are mainly magnetic cards,
Problems have arisen from the following two aspects.

[0003] 1. Although the amount of information handled in recent years reflects the information age, the existing magnetic card cannot cope with a card system handling large-capacity information.

[0004] 2. Forgery has become a major social problem in magnetic recording, and a card with higher security is desired.

Due to such a background, optical cards and ICs
Information recording cards such as cards are attracting attention.

Optical cards have the advantage that they have a large capacity, can be easily mass-produced, and are inexpensive. Further, the optical card is a write-once recording medium, and cannot be falsified because information once recorded cannot be rewritten, and is a highly secure recording medium in that the history remains.

Tracks are formed on the optical card at intervals of several microns, and information is recorded and reproduced by forming spots of several microns between the tracks by using a light beam. To perform recording / reproducing, an information recording / reproducing apparatus which can drive the optical card and the optical head in directions orthogonal to each other and irradiate the optical card with the light beam while following the track in parallel is used.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration diagram of a conventional example of an optical card recording / reproducing apparatus. A card insertion slot 5 is opened on a side surface of the apparatus main body 3, and a conveyance unit for feeding the card C into the apparatus is provided near the insertion slot 5. The conveying means is composed of a pair of rollers 4 and the like, and the card C is nipped by the pair of rollers 4 and conveyed by the rotational force of a drive motor (not shown).

A card mounting table 1, which is a carriage for mounting an optical card C and reciprocating linearly, is provided inside the apparatus, and the card is mounted on the mounting table 1 by the above-described transport system. The card mounting table 1 is detected by driving a motor (not shown) via a belt 7 and a pulley 6 connected thereto, using a cover 10 provided on the mounting table and optical means 8 and 9 provided in the apparatus main body. It is reciprocated linearly between two locations in a direction parallel to the card insertion direction. The card C is held in a planar manner with respect to the mounting table 1, and is positioned so that the track direction is exactly parallel to the moving direction of the mounting table.

An optical head 2 on which an optical pickup is mounted is disposed on the recording surface side of the card, and is configured to be able to linearly move in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the card mounting table 1. A predetermined recording / reproducing process is performed by converging laser light on the card from the optical head 2 and moving the mounting table and the optical head relatively.

[0011] On the other hand, although the IC card is inferior to the optical card in terms of capacity, it has advantages in high security and high-speed access. An IC card is an IC in which electrical elements including an IC chip and a wiring circuit are integrated.
The module is embedded in the card board.
A plurality of electrodes for the IC chip are exposed on the card surface, and the reader / writer is composed of a plurality of electrical contacts for contacting the electrodes and accessing the IC chip, an electrical circuit for communication, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 7, the reader / writer device 2
0 can be realized by a simple configuration in which the leading end of the card is inserted into the slot 21 and the IC module c2 and the electrical contacts are brought into contact.

More recently, large capacity optical cards, ICs
Taking advantage of the high-speed accessibility of the card, a composite card (hereinafter referred to as a hybrid card) in which a plurality of recording media such as an optical recording layer c1 and an IC module c2 are added to a card base C as shown in FIG. 8 has also been proposed. ing. When constructing a certain card system, it is possible to realize higher service provision by properly using and cooperating with each other taking advantage of the respective recording media.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-234925 proposes a hybrid reader / writer capable of recording and reproducing information with respect to an IC module and an optical recording unit using the same device. FIG. 9 shows a schematic configuration of a hybrid reader / writer.

In FIG. 9, HC is a hybrid card, c2 is an IC module, 30 is an optical recording / reproduction control unit, 31 is an optical head unit, 32 is an IC contact, 33 is an IC reader / writer, and 34 is a card mounting table. . In the optical card recording / reproducing apparatus shown in FIG. 6, a contact for an IC module is arranged on a part of a card mounting table 1 on which an optical card is mounted. Hybrid card I
Recording and reproduction of the IC module are performed by the contact of the electrode of the C module c2 with the IC module contact of the mounting table. A hybrid reader / writer can be realized with a configuration equivalent to that of a conventional optical card recording / reproducing apparatus.

[0016]

However, when the above-described device configuration is adopted, some problems as described below arise.

1. If the optical recording layer is scratched, the laser light will be diffracted, making it impossible to perform desired optical recording and reproduction.
In the case of a hybrid card provided with a contact type IC module, if the card is erroneously inserted, the IC head may be scratched.

2. In the case of a contact-type IC module, stable performance can be maintained with a large contact pressure. However, when an optical recording layer and an IC module are arranged on different surfaces of a hybrid card, for example, a large contact pressure causes the card to warp, so that the optical axis is shifted and desired optical recording / reproduction cannot be performed. . Therefore, in order to achieve both optical recording and IC, the contact pressure had to be suppressed.

Also, 1. In order to solve the problems described in (1), there is also adopted a method of using a mechanism capable of automatically contacting / separating the IC head, thereby separating the head when the card is inserted and preventing abrasion. However, a simpler method is desired because the cost of the apparatus increases.

The present invention has been made in view of such a conventional problem, and does not cause abrasion of the IC head due to card conveyance to the card, and does not cause warpage of the card and a large contact pressure. It is an object of the present invention to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus for a hybrid card capable of ensuring reliable recording and reproducing.

[0021]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an optical recording layer and an optical recording layer.
C. An information recording / reproducing apparatus which records and / or reproduces information on / from a card-shaped information recording medium provided with a plurality of information recording media including a recording medium having a mounting surface for mounting said card. Mounting means, a light-transmitting window provided on the mounting surface corresponding to the area of the optical recording layer of the card, and an openable / closable lid for covering at least a part of the mounting surface when closed. An optical recording / reproducing means provided in the apparatus for optically recording and / or reproducing through the light-transmitting window; and an information recording / reproducing apparatus for contacting an IC provided on a card for recording and / or reproducing information. And an IC recording / reproducing device provided on the lid or the mounting surface.

The present invention also relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording and / or reproducing information on / from a card-shaped information recording medium provided with a plurality of information recording media including an optical recording layer and an IC. Positioning mounting means having a concave portion for mounting, a light-transmitting window provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion corresponding to the area of the optical recording layer of the card, and at least one of the concave portions when closed. A cover that can be opened and closed, an optical recording / reproducing means provided in the apparatus for optically recording and / or reproducing through the translucent window, and information in contact with an IC attached to the card. The present invention relates to an information recording / reproducing apparatus provided with an IC recording / reproducing means provided on the bottom of the lid or the concave portion for recording and / or reproducing.

Here, it is preferable that a press fixing means is further provided on the inner surface of the lid.

Further, according to the present invention, the IC recording / reproducing means has a plurality of electrical contacts for making electrical contact with the IC normally attached to the card.

In the information recording / reproducing apparatus of the present invention, recording / reproducing can be performed without sending a card into the apparatus, and therefore, there is no abrasion caused by the IC head during card transport. Further, since the card is fixed and held by the lid, the contact pressure can be sufficiently increased without causing warpage. Therefore, hybrid card recording / reproduction can be realized with high reliability.

[0026]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments.

Embodiment 1 A first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is an embodiment of an information recording / reproducing apparatus for a hybrid card having an optical recording layer and a contact type IC as shown in FIG.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus, and FIG. 3 is a structural view of an optical recording head.

The upper surface of the apparatus housing 300 is provided with a concave portion 301 whose planar shape is slightly larger than the card length.
The bottom surface of the concave portion 301 is flat and serves as a mounting surface on which a card is mounted. Two surfaces 302 and 3 of the inner surface of the concave portion 301
03 is used as a positioning surface. The surface 304 corresponding to the short side of the card is also provided with an urging member (not shown) for pressing the card against the surface from the side to position the card. By such positioning and placing means, the card is held on the apparatus with the optical recording surface and the IC module surface facing downward.

An opening of a light-transmitting window 305 is provided in a region corresponding to the optical recording layer on the bottom surface of the concave portion 301 as a card mounting surface.

On the other hand, a lid 307 that is rotatable about a shaft 306 as a support shaft is provided on the upper part of the housing 300. Lid 307
An elastic member 3 such as a leaf spring is
08 is provided. When the lid 307 is closed, the elastic member 308
Presses the card against the bottom surface of the recess 301, so that the card is held. The inside of the cover 307 (the surface on the card side) is preferably flat, and when the card is placed and the cover is closed, the card fits in the space between the bottom surface of the concave portion and the inner surface of the cover. By setting this interval to be equal to or slightly larger than that of one card, it is possible to prevent the card from warping. The pressing and fixing means is provided such that the lid 30 is pressed when pressed, like a leaf spring.
It is particularly preferable to use one having an inner surface substantially flat.

When the lid 307 is closed, the locking member 30 is closed.
Locked by 9. The lock is released by pressing the button 314. A mechanical switch 310 is provided at a position corresponding to the tip of the lid 307, and can detect opening and closing of the lid.

Further, a detector 311 for confirming the placement of the card is arranged in the concave portion 301. For this, a mechanical switch operated by touching the card, an optical sensor for confirming reflection of the card, or the like can be used.

On the bottom surface of the concave portion 301 which is the card mounting surface,
In addition to the light transmitting window 305, a recording / reproducing head 312 for an IC module is provided as an IC recording / reproducing means. I
The C head has a plurality of electrical contacts 313 for contacting and electrically communicating with the IC module.

When a hybrid card is used by such an apparatus, the user puts the card against the inner side of the recess and places the card, and then closes the lid 307. In this state, the contact 313 of the IC head comes into contact with the IC module by the pressing force of the elastic member 308 of the lid 307, and the recording and reproduction can be performed by communication.

As described above, unlike the conventional device, the card is not loaded by inserting the card into the device and sliding the card from the side with respect to the IC contact.
No scratches due to C head.

On the other hand, as an optical recording / reproducing means, an optical head 200 drivable in a horizontal plane is built in the apparatus, and a laser can be focused on the optical recording layer through the light transmitting window 305. The required torque is small because the stroke is small in the short direction of the card and the moving speed is also small.
Therefore, the size and weight of the drive system required is small,
This portion can be mounted on one carriage 201 and moved in the card longitudinal direction.

In this embodiment, a first drive system using a lead screw 203 and a DC motor 204 is formed in the short direction of the card, and a second drive system using a linear motor 204 is formed in the long direction. The carriage including the pickup is linearly reciprocated along the information track by the second drive system to perform recording and reproduction, and the seek operation to the target track is performed by the first drive system.

When recording / reproducing is performed, the operation is started from a state where the detector has identified that the card has been placed and then confirmed that the lid has been closed by the detector.
If the lid is opened during recording / reproducing, the operation is immediately stopped by detection by the detector. This can prevent the laser light from leaking to the outside.

[Embodiment 2] The second embodiment is an information recording / reproducing apparatus for a hybrid card in which an optical recording layer and a contact type IC are provided on different sides of the card. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the apparatus. This embodiment is a modification of the first embodiment, and the basic configuration of the device is the same as that of the first embodiment.
12 is provided on the side of the card of the lid 307, and when the lid is closed, it comes into contact with the IC of the card.
C can be recorded and reproduced. As a result, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0041]

According to the present invention, recording and reproduction can be performed without sending a card into the apparatus.
Since a large contact pressure can be ensured without causing warpage of the card, it is possible to provide an information recording / reproducing apparatus for a hybrid card capable of highly reliable recording / reproducing.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an optical recording / reproducing head according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of an apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram of a conventional optical recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a conventional contact type IC card recording / reproducing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a hybrid card.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a hybrid card recording / reproducing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 200 optical head 201 carriage 202 lead screw 203 DC motor 204 linear motor 300 device housing 301 recess 305 translucent window 307 lid 308 elastic member 310 lid open / close detector 311 card detector 312 contact IC head 313 contact C card c1 optical recording layer c2 Contact type IC module

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. An information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording and / or reproducing information on / from a card-shaped information recording medium provided with a plurality of information recording media including an optical recording layer and an IC, wherein the card is placed. Positioning mounting means having a mounting surface for transmitting the light, a light-transmitting window provided on the mounting surface corresponding to the area of the optical recording layer of the card, and at least one of the mounting surface described above when closed. An openable / closable cover for covering a part thereof, an optical recording / reproducing means provided in the apparatus for optically recording and / or reproducing through the light transmitting window, and information in contact with an IC attached to a card. An information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: an IC recording / reproducing means provided on the lid or the mounting surface for recording and / or reproducing information. 2. An information recording / reproducing apparatus for recording and / or reproducing information on / from a card-shaped information recording medium provided with a plurality of information recording media including an optical recording layer and an IC, wherein the card is placed. Positioning mounting means having a concave portion for transmitting light, a light-transmitting window provided on the bottom surface of the concave portion corresponding to the area of the optical recording layer of the card, and covering at least a part of the concave portion when closed. An openable / closable lid; an optical recording / reproducing means provided in the apparatus for optically recording and / or reproducing through the light-transmitting window; Or, an information recording / reproducing apparatus comprising: an IC recording / reproducing means provided on the lid or the bottom surface of the recess for reproducing. 3. The information recording / reproducing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing and fixing means on an inner surface of the lid. 4. The IC recording / reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein said IC recording / reproducing means has a plurality of electrical contacts for making electrical contact with an IC provided on the card. Information recording and playback device.