JPH11219419A - Ic card and its manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC card easy to manufacture, low in cost and excellent in the quality of completed product, and a manufacturing method therefor. SOLUTION: An antenna 10 and its connection terminal 10a are fitted to one face side of a 1st resin-made sheet 2, and 2nd resin-made sheet 3 is stuck to one face side of the sheet 2 so as to cover the antenna 10 and the terminal 10a, recessed parts 4, 5 are formed from the external face of the sheet 3, and an aperture part 6 for exposing the terminal 10a of the antenna 10 is formed. Then a plate spring-like connection member 7 is arranged on the aperture part 6 and IC modules 12, 13 are stored in the recessed parts 4, 5, so that the connection terminal 10a of the antenna 10 is connected to the connection terminals of the IC modules 12, 13 through the connection part 7 and the external connection terminal 14 of the IC modules 12, 13 is exposed from the external surface of the sheet 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a credit ID.
More particularly, the present invention relates to an IC card having an external connection terminal and also having a communication function, and a method of manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a common I / O used for various purposes is described.
As the C card, for example, an IC module having an external connection terminal for transmitting power and information, an antenna for transmitting information by communication, and processing and storing information is used as a card. The one mounted inside is used.

FIG. 7 shows a conventional IC card.
7A is an exploded sectional view showing the structure, FIG. 7B is an assembled state plan view, and FIG. 7C is an assembled state sectional view. As shown in these figures, the conventional shared I
The C card has a resin sheet 11 located at the center, a front resin sheet 16 located at a lower portion, and a resin sheet 18 located at a rear surface at an upper portion. Among them, the resin sheet 11 is mounted so that the antenna coil 10 is attached and the circuit board 12 of the IC module is connected to the connection terminal of the antenna coil 10.
The IC module I is inserted into the hole 15 formed in the resin sheet 11.
The C chip section 13 is housed.

A resin sheet 16 on the front side has holes 17 for accommodating the circuit board 12 and exposing the external connection terminals 14 provided on the front side of the circuit board 12. The resin sheet 11, the resin sheet 16 on the front side, and the resin sheet 11 and the resin sheet 18 on the back side that cover the holes 15 provided in the resin sheet 11 are bonded with an adhesive or the like. . Therefore, the three resin sheets 11, 16, 18 and the antenna coil 1
0, the circuit board 12 and the IC chip 13 are integrated and configured as a shared IC card.

As another common IC card, there is one disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-52968. In this IC card, an antenna including a contact terminal is formed on the surface of a resin sheet, and a card body is formed by female molding on the upper part of the antenna, and a recess is formed in the card body to expose the contact terminal of the antenna. Then, the IC module is set in the concave portion to obtain a card shape.

[0006]

As described above, a typical conventional common IC card is to incorporate an IC module into a sheet on which an antenna is formed,
Thereafter, there were two forms, one in which the sheet was further adhered from the front and back sides, and the other in which the IC module and the antenna were integrated into a card state.

In the former common IC card, the connection terminal 10a of the antenna 10 is provided on the surface of the resin sheet 11.
Must be formed in advance so as to form frost. for that reason,
Normally, an IC module (circuit board 12, IC chip 1
3) A card is formed by stacking a plurality of sheets with holes 15 and 1 corresponding to the storage position in advance, and the IC chip 13 is stored in the hole 15 to connect the connection terminal 10 of the antenna 10.
a and the terminal of the circuit board 12 were connected.
However, in this configuration, not only is the connection of the module extremely difficult, but also the connection point with the antenna coil is
In the conveyance to the next step and the sheet bonding work in the next step, disconnection easily occurs, which has been a problem in mass production.

On the other hand, the latter common IC card has a configuration in which an IC module and an antenna coil are pasted on another sheet in advance and integrated, and the integrated card is made into a completed card by a method such as insert molding. However, in this configuration,
Stress such as large stress is applied to the IC module during molding, and it has been extremely difficult to maintain reliability.

In the latter IC card, when an antenna is formed on a resin sheet, the card body is formed by molding, and then the IC module is installed in a recess formed at the time of molding, the thickness of the resin sheet is reduced. Is a thickness obtained by subtracting at least the IC module thickness from the card thickness. Here, in the case of a thin card (ISO7816), the thickness of the card is specified to be 0.76 mm, and the thickness of the IC module is usually a resin substrate, conductive foil, IC, bonding height, I
The thickness of the resin sheet is 0.1 mm to 0.15 mm, since 0.6 mm to 0.65 mm including the protective resin for C is economically and appropriately strength. Will do. As described above, the step of mounting an antenna or the like on an extremely thin resin sheet has been a difficult point in IC card processing.

Further, in a card formed by filling an ABS resin on a resin sheet on which an antenna is mounted,
When a magnetic stripe is mounted, there is a method of attaching a magnetic stripe, but the magnetic stripe becomes higher than the card surface, which causes a problem in terms of durability. As described above, in the latter IC card, there are various problems in terms of manufacturing, and there are great restrictions on functions and characteristics.

Further, in the latter IC card, the antenna and the IC module are connected by a tongue-shaped member or a metal coil spring to ensure connection stability. However, the tongue-shaped member or the coil spring hardly generates spring properties, and has a problem in connection reliability.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC card which is easy to manufacture, is low in cost, and has excellent finished quality, and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0013]

Means for Solving the Problems To achieve the above object, an IC card according to the present invention is an IC card in which an IC module is housed in a card base and an antenna is embedded.
An opening is formed between the connection terminal of the IC module and the connection terminal of the antenna, and the connection terminal of the IC module and the connection terminal of the antenna are connected to each other with a flat spring-shaped connection member interposed in the opening. Preferably, the flat spring-shaped connecting member has at least one or more convex portions.

Further, the card base is formed by joining a first resin sheet having the antenna and its connection terminals attached to one surface, and a second resin sheet covering the antenna and its connection terminals. The opening is formed in a second resin sheet, and preferably, the IC module is housed in the second resin sheet.

Thus, the structure of the IC card is simplified, and the positioning of the connection member is facilitated.
The connection between the antenna and the connection terminal of the IC module is ensured.

According to the method of manufacturing an IC card of the present invention, an antenna and its connection terminals are attached to one surface of a first resin sheet, and then one surface of the first resin sheet is covered so as to cover the antenna and its connection terminals. The second resin sheet is joined to the side, then a concave portion is formed from the outer surface of the second resin sheet, and an opening for exposing the connection terminal of the antenna is formed. After the connection member is disposed in the portion, the IC module is housed in the recess, thereby connecting the connection terminal of the antenna and the connection terminal of the IC module via the connection member, and the external connection terminal of the IC module. Is exposed on the outer surface of the second resin sheet.

As a result, the number of steps is reduced as compared with the conventional manufacturing method, and the step of integrating the antenna coil and the IC module which is difficult to handle in a semi-finished state can be avoided. No stress is applied to the antenna, the IC module, or their connection terminals when joining the sheets made of the material.

In the method of manufacturing an IC card according to the present invention, the recess is formed by a first recess for accommodating a circuit board of the IC module and a second recess for accommodating an IC chip of the IC module. And the opening is formed in the first recess. This facilitates alignment between the connection terminal of the antenna and the connection terminal of the IC module.

Further, in the method of manufacturing an IC card according to the present invention, a flat spring-shaped connecting member having at least one convex portion may be provided in the opening, or the second resin sheet may be provided. Is formed by one or a plurality of sheets. Thereby, the quality of the finished product is improved, and a method for manufacturing an IC card with a high yield can be obtained.

[0020]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B relate to an IC card according to an embodiment, wherein FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a main part, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the IC module, FIG. Is a sectional view of a main part, and (c) is a bottom view.

As shown in these drawings, as shown in FIG.
Are the first resin sheet 2 to which the antenna coil 10 is attached, and the first resin sheet 2 for determining the card thickness.
And a second resin sheet 3 to be adhered to. The antenna coil 10 has a conductive wire processed into a coil shape and adhered to the upper surface side of the first resin sheet 2, and further, connection terminals 10 a are connected to both ends of the antenna coil 10.
The second resin sheet 3 is adhered to the first resin sheet 2 so as to cover the antenna coil 10 and the antenna connection terminal 10a.

As shown in FIG. 2, the IC module has an IC chip 13 mounted on one side of the circuit board 12 (the lower side in FIG. 2B), a connection terminal 13a formed on the other side, and an IC chip 13 formed on the other side. The external connection terminal 14 is shown in FIG.
Is formed.

The card base 1 has a second resin sheet 3
A first concave portion 4 is formed from the side, and a deep hole-shaped second concave portion 5 and a small hole-shaped opening 6 are formed at the back of the first concave portion 4. The first recess 4 houses the circuit board 12, and the second recess 5 houses the IC chip 13. When the IC module is housed in the recess in this way, the connection terminal 10a of the antenna coil 10 and the connection terminal 13a of the IC chip face each other with the opening 6 interposed therebetween. The opening 6 is provided with a bowl-shaped flat spring-shaped metal connection member 7.

As a result, when the IC module is stored in the card base 1, the bowl-shaped connecting member 7
Connection terminal 1 of 1C chip 13 on circuit board 12 through
3a and antenna connection terminal 10a of antenna coil 10
Is connected, and the external connection terminal 14 of the IC module is exposed to the surface of the card base 1 to form an IC card.

Next, an embodiment of a method for manufacturing an IC card according to the present invention will be described. 3 to 6 are views showing steps of the manufacturing method. FIGS. 3A and 3B are a plan view and a sectional view of a main part of a first resin sheet, and FIG. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are plan views and main part sectional views showing a state in which a recess is formed in a base card, and FIG. 6 is an IC module attached to the base card. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in a state in which is stored.

As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, two antenna connection terminals 1 are provided on the upper surface side of the first resin sheet 2.
0a is embedded and adhered, and both ends of an antenna coil 10 formed by processing a conductive wire into a coil shape are connected to each of the antenna connection terminals 10a. It is buried on the upper surface side and bonded. In addition, as the antenna coil 10,
The conductor is not limited to the one formed by processing the conductor into a coil shape, but may be formed by attaching a metal foil to the first resin sheet 2 and etching the metal foil into a coil shape, or by forming the metal paste into a coil shape. It may be formed by printing.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, a second resin sheet 3 is placed on the side of the first resin sheet 2 to which the antenna coil 10 is adhered, and the first resin sheet 2 and the second resin sheet 2 are joined together. The sheet 3 is bonded to form the card base 1.
Here, the second resin sheet 3 includes the antenna coil 10
And to make the card base 1 have a specified thickness. The second resin sheet 3 may be formed as a single sheet as shown in the figure, but may be formed by laminating a plurality of sheets.

Next, the card base 1 in which the first resin sheet 2 and the second resin sheet 3 are bonded and integrated,
Cutting is performed from the second resin sheet 3 side by an end mill or the like to form a concave portion for accommodating the IC module as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B. This processing is performed by first forming a shallow first recess 4 by cutting, and then forming a second recess 5 and two openings 6 by cutting. Here, the two openings 6 are formed at positions corresponding to the connection terminals 10 a of the antenna coil 10. After the openings 6 are formed, the antenna connection terminals 10 a are exposed from the openings 6.

Next, metal connection members 7 each having a bowl shape and functioning as a plate spring are provided in the two openings 6 respectively. Thereafter, the IC chip 13 is housed in the second recess 5, and the circuit board 12 is housed in the first recess 4.
The module is mounted on the card base 1.

As described above, the IC is inserted into the concave portion of the card base 1.
When the module is stored, the connection terminal 10a of the antenna coil 10 and the connection terminal 13a of the IC chip 13 are connected via the connection member 7 provided in the opening 6. At this time, since the connecting member 7 is bowl-shaped and functions as a flat spring, the connecting terminals 10a and 13a are securely connected. Further, the external connection terminals 14 formed on the surface opposite to the IC chip 13 are exposed outside the card base 1. Thus, the IC card shown in FIG. 1 is completed.

The connecting member 7 may be a metal plate-shaped spring having one bowl-shaped projection as described above or a plate-shaped spring having a plurality of projections. As described above, when the flat spring is used as the connecting member, the processing is easier than that using the conventional metal coil spring, and an appropriate spring pressure can be obtained within a limited thickness range. Are better.

Further, the first and second resin sheets can be formed not only of the second resin sheet 3 but also of the first resin sheet 2 by a plurality of sheets. When the second resin sheet is formed of a plurality of sheets, it is possible to improve the print quality, impart a magnetic stripe, and the like, thereby improving the characteristics of the IC card.

[0033]

The IC of the present invention having the above-described structure.
According to the card, the connection terminal of the IC module and the connection terminal of the antenna can be reliably and stably connected via the leaf spring-shaped connection member provided in the opening. Further, the card base is formed of a first resin sheet provided with an antenna coil and a connection terminal thereof, and a second resin sheet covering the antenna coil and the like, and the card substrate is connected to the second resin sheet. An opening for exposing the terminal is provided, and the connecting member is provided in the opening, so that the connecting member can be easily positioned.

According to the method of manufacturing an IC card of the present invention, the number of steps can be reduced, and the step of integrating an antenna coil and an IC module which is difficult to handle in a semi-finished state can be avoided. In addition, it is possible to avoid the occurrence of stress during the joining of the resin sheet and the storage of the IC module, and it is possible to manufacture a high quality, high yield, low cost IC card.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an IC card of the present invention,
2A is a plan view, and FIG.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of an IC module, (a) is a plan view,
(B) is a sectional view of a main part.

FIG. 3 shows a method of manufacturing an IC card according to the present invention, wherein (a)
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a first resin sheet, and FIG.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in a state where the first resin sheet and the second resin sheet are similarly bonded.

5A and 5B show a state in which a concave portion is formed on the base card, wherein FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a main part in a state where an IC module is stored in a base card.

7A and 7B show a conventional IC card configuration, wherein FIG. 7A is an exploded sectional view, FIG. 7B is an assembled plan view, and FIG. 7C is an assembled sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 Card base 2 First resin sheet 3 Second resin sheet 4 First recess 5 Second recess 6 Opening 7 Connection member 10 Antenna coil 12 Circuit board 13 IC chip 14 External connection terminal

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. An IC card in which an IC module is housed in a card base and an antenna is embedded, wherein an opening is formed between a connection terminal of the IC module and a connection terminal of the antenna, and a flat spring is formed in the opening. Wherein the connection terminal of the IC module and the connection terminal of the antenna are connected via a connection member having a shape of a circle.
C card. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flat spring-shaped connecting member has at least one or more convex portions.
C card. 3. The first resin sheet in which the card base is provided with the antenna and its connection terminal on one side,
The IC card according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the antenna and a second resin sheet covering the connection terminals thereof are united, and the opening is formed in the second resin sheet. 4. The IC card according to claim 3, wherein said IC module is housed in said second resin sheet. 5. An antenna and a connection terminal thereof are attached to one surface of a first resin sheet, and a second resin sheet is attached to one surface of the first resin sheet so as to cover the antenna and the connection terminals. The sheet is joined, and then a recess is formed from the outer surface of the second resin sheet, and an opening for exposing the connection terminal of the antenna is formed. Then, a connection member is provided in the opening. After that, by storing the IC module in the recess, the connection terminal of the antenna and the connection terminal of the IC module are connected via the connection member, and the external connection terminal of the IC module is connected to the second resin sheet. A method for manufacturing an IC card, characterized in that the IC card is exposed on an outer surface of the IC card. 6. The IC module according to claim 6, wherein the recess is a first recess accommodating a circuit board of the IC module, and an IC of the IC module is provided.
6. The method of manufacturing an IC card according to claim 5, wherein the first recess is formed with a second recess for accommodating a chip, and the opening is formed in the first recess. 7. The method for manufacturing an IC card according to claim 5, wherein a flat spring-shaped connecting member having at least one or more convex portions is disposed in the opening. 8. The method for manufacturing an IC card according to claim 5, wherein the second resin sheet is formed of one or a plurality of sheets.