JPH11268460A - Radio card - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a radio card with a display function wherein a displayed image is free from a failure. SOLUTION: The card is formed from a planar substrate 7, an antenna 3 embedded in a groove 9 provided on one surface of the substrate 7 to effect radio communication with the outside, an IC chip 4 to effect processing such as storage, updating, and readout of information by conducting communication with the outside through the antenna 3, and a surface layer 5, which is provided on the surface of the substrate 7 where the antenna 3 and IC chip 4 are embedded and on which an image display part 2 is provided, in which visible images can be recorded or erased by thermal energy from the outside. In this case, an elastic layer 6 is provided between the substrate 7 and the surface layer 5.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wireless card having a display function which has an image display section capable of recording and erasing a visible image by external heat energy, and exchanges information with the outside in a non-contact manner. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an antenna for wirelessly communicating with the outside and an IC (integrated circuit) for performing processing such as information storage, updating, and reading by communicating with the outside via the antenna. A so-called wireless card having a built-in electronic circuit unit has appeared, and can communicate with the outside wirelessly, and can store, update, and read information without contact. Also, due to environmental resource problems, some wireless cards do not have a power supply, and instead drive wirelessly an electronic circuit unit in the card by wireless power supply from a card reader / writer as a transceiver.

[0003] These wireless cards have an ID for personal authentication.
It may be used as a card, etc., and processing such as traffic permission is performed unattended through a dedicated transmission / reception device.However, in consideration of the case of visual judgment by a person, a display such as a photograph of the face of the owner is displayed. There are also things.

[0004] Further, a wireless card can have not only an ID function but also a plurality of functions such as a credit function and a prepaid function. May need to be updated and displayed. In the case of a wireless card of a type having a power supply, it is possible to display arbitrary information by providing a display unit of liquid crystal or the like, but it is difficult with a wireless card of a type without a power supply as described above.

[0005] In order to solve such a problem, there is a restriction that rewriting and recording of display information must be performed by a dedicated recording device, but a visible image can be recorded / erased on the card surface by heat. It is possible to rewrite the display unit by providing a suitable image display unit, bringing a thermal recording unit such as a thermal head into contact, and heating.

[0006] Materials showing such a change and the recording apparatus itself are described in, for example, JP-A-55-154198 (opaque / transparent change material) and JP-A-63-17368.
No. 4, JP-A-4-1976
No. 47 (recording device) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 5-4447 (recording device) have already disclosed.

[0007]

However, since a wireless card is usually formed by embedding an antenna or an electronic circuit portion formed into an IC therein, slight irregularities may appear on the card surface. Since the rigidity is provided so as not to damage the electronic circuit section, the degree of deformation is less than that of a thin magnetic card such as a so-called telephone card. Therefore, it is difficult to bring a rigid body such as a thermal head into uniform contact, and there is a problem that an image is left unerased or writing is apt to occur.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a wireless card with a display function that does not cause loss of a display image.

[0009]

The wireless card of the present invention comprises:
A flat base material, an antenna embedded in one surface of the base material for wirelessly communicating with the outside, and an electronic circuit performing predetermined processing by communicating with the outside via the antenna Part, and an image display part provided on the surface of the base on which the antenna and the electronic circuit part are embedded, and having an image recording layer capable of recording and erasing a visible image by external heat energy And an elastic layer provided between the base material and the image display unit.

Further, the wireless card of the present invention has a surface portion provided with an image display portion, and an elastic material is provided between the surface portion and the surface of the substrate on which the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are embedded. A layer is provided.

[0011] In the wireless card of the present invention, the elastic layer includes:
It is characterized by being provided over the entire surface of the substrate on which the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are embedded.

Further, in the wireless card of the present invention, the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are exposed on the image display portion side of the base material, and the elastic layer is provided continuously above the antenna and the electronic circuit portion. The antenna and the electronic circuit are sealed from the outside by an elastic layer.

[0013] In the wireless card of the present invention, the elastic layer includes:
It is characterized in that it is provided only in a portion corresponding to the image display unit.

Further, the wireless card of the present invention is characterized in that the elastic layer is made of a foam material and also serves as heat insulation from the image display unit side.

Further, a wireless card according to the present invention has a flat base material, an antenna embedded in one surface of the base material for wirelessly communicating with the outside, and an external device via the antenna. An electronic circuit unit that performs a predetermined process by performing communication, and an adhesive having a characteristic of an elastic body is bonded to a surface of the base on which the antenna and the electronic circuit unit are embedded, and an external circuit is provided. And an image display unit having an image recording layer capable of recording and erasing a visible image by thermal energy.

According to the present invention, by providing the elastic layer between the base material and the image display part, when the image recording means of the rigid image display part such as a thermal head is pressed, the base material or the antenna and Even if there is unevenness due to the electronic circuit portion, the unevenness is absorbed by the elastic layer, so that it is possible to make uniform contact, and it is possible to prevent a display image from being erased or lost, such as writing failure.

The antenna and the electronic circuit section are exposed on the image display section side of the base material, and an elastic layer is provided continuously above the antenna and the electronic circuit section. By sealing from the outside with the layer, it is possible to prevent the display image from being lost without providing a member for sealing the antenna and the electronic circuit portion.

Further, since the elastic body is a foam material and also serves as heat insulation from the image display unit side, heat during image rewriting is not transmitted to the antenna and the electronic circuit unit while preventing loss of the displayed image. Heat damage can be prevented.

Further, by joining the base material and the image recording layer with an adhesive having the characteristic of an elastic body, it is possible to prevent a display image from being erased or lost, such as writing failure, without separately providing an elastic layer. Become.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment will be described.

FIG. 1 is a top view of the wireless card with a display function according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the wireless card when the wireless card is disassembled for each component. FIG.
As shown in the figure, the wireless card 1 is provided with an image display section 2 made of a material (details will be described later) capable of rewriting and recording a visible image by heat energy at the center thereof. Arbitrary image display can be performed by image recording means provided in the reader / writer.

An antenna 3 for transmitting and receiving information wirelessly to and from a card reader / writer, which will be described later, inside the wireless card 1, and storing information by communicating with the outside via this antenna 3. , An electronic circuit unit (hereinafter simply referred to as an IC chip) 4 for performing an update, a reading process and the like is embedded.

The wireless card 1 does not own a power source such as a battery, but supplies power together with transmission information by radio as described above, whereby a stabilized power source is generated internally, and the generated power source is generated. Thus, the IC chip 4 operates.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Can be roughly classified into a surface layer 5 as a surface portion, an elastic layer 6,
The substrate 7 is decomposed into a back layer 8. Image display unit 2 described above
Is formed on the surface layer 5, and the antenna 3 and the IC chip 4 are connected to one surface (the surface layer 5
(A side surface).

The front layer 5 and the back layer 8 excluding the image display section 2 can be preprinted such as a design and a cautionary statement.

Here, the elastic layer 6 provided between the surface layer 5 and the base material 7 is a member which is a feature of the present invention, and details thereof will be described later. The rewriting of the image in the copy unit 2 can be performed without causing any loss such as unerased data or writing error.

The material and thickness of each component are not limited to these, but in the present embodiment, the surface layer 5 and the back layer 8 have a thickness of 100 μm.
m of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film and an elastic layer 6 of urethane rubber (rubber hardness 6) having a thickness of 100 μm.
0 degree), the substrate 7 was made of ABS (acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene) resin having a thickness of 400 μm, and was molded to have a thickness of 0.76 mm as a whole including any thickness such as an adhesive.

Here, the material used for the elastic layer 6 is an elastic body having a restoring force against pressure deformation and is limited to a material that can be formed in a thin layer. That is, it is also possible to use non-communicating urethane foam as the material of the elastic layer 6. For example, when foamed urethane having a bubble rate of 60%, an average bubble diameter of 20 μm, and a rubber hardness of 60 degrees is used, the same effect as that of the urethane rubber described above can be obtained, and the heat insulation of the bubbles in the elastic layer 6 can be obtained. Due to the effect, the heat given to the image display unit 2 is not transmitted to the lower layer portion below the heat insulating layer, so that the antenna 3 and the IC chip 4 can be prevented from being thermally damaged. Further, the loss when applying heat to the image display unit 2 is reduced, and the energy required at the time of rewriting and recording an image is reduced (the sensitivity is increased).

In the wireless card 1 according to the present embodiment,
The antenna 3 and the IC chip 4 are hermetically sealed by the elastic layer 6 to solve problems such as water resistance. In a general wireless card, a sealant may be filled in order to seal the antenna 3 and the IC chip 4, but it is not necessary to use a separate sealant in the present invention.

Next, a material used for the image display unit 2 of the wireless card 1 and capable of rewriting and recording a visible image by heat will be described. Although the present invention is not limited to this, in the present embodiment, a recording material whose color is repeatedly developed / decolored by controlling heating energy is used. FIG. 3 shows the coloring / decoloring characteristics.

FIG. 3 shows a change characteristic of the image density when heating energy is applied to a recording material formed in a sheet shape by a thermal head and the applied energy is changed. The vertical axis indicates the image density, and the horizontal axis indicates the applied energy of the thermal head. Curve a shows a change in density when heating energy is applied to a recording material in an initial state that has not yet developed color, and curve b shows a change in density when heating energy is applied to a recording material that has once developed a color. The density change is shown.

This recording material is mainly composed of a dye material called a leuco dye and a color-developing agent which reacts with the leuco dye by heating to produce a color or to reduce the color. It is a material that can be changed to both a colored state and a decolored state due to a difference. As is apparent from the density change characteristics of color development and color erasure in FIG. 3, color erasure occurs with lower energy than color development. Also,
When the applied energy for decoloring is gradually increased from the lower side, the color starts to be formed again when the image density exceeds the condition even if the image density is lowered.

That is, by controlling the heating energy in units of pixels, such as a thermal head, and contacting the image display unit 2 with means for selectively giving color heating and decoloring heating, an arbitrary image can be displayed. Rewrite recording can be performed.

For erasing an image, it is also possible to use a dedicated erasing head in which a belt-like heating resistor is provided on the substrate to provide uniform heating.

Next, a card reader / writer for reading and writing information wirelessly, transmitting power, and rewriting and recording the image display unit 2 with respect to the wireless card 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

The card reader / writer used in the present embodiment is an antenna 11 for wirelessly transmitting / receiving information and transmitting power to / from the wireless card 1, and processing for transmitting / receiving information, content determination, updating and the like via the antenna 11. And a wireless information drive unit 12 that performs power transmission collectively, a wireless unit detection sensor 13 that optically detects that the wireless card 1 has reached the antenna 11, and a display on the image display unit 2 of the wireless card 1. The thermal head 14 for rewriting and recording the contents.
A platen roller 15 for moving the wireless card 1 while pressing it from the back side;
, An image rewriting unit detection sensor 16 for optically detecting that the wireless card 1 has been reached, a pair of transport rollers 17 for transporting the wireless card 1 over the entire area of the card reader / writer, and a card reader after all processing for the wireless card 1 is completed. It is constituted by an end detection sensor 18 for detecting that the end of the writer has been reached.

As a result, when the wireless card 1 is taken into the card reader / writer, the wireless card 1 is transported by the transport roller pair 17 and is detected by the wireless section detection sensor 13 and is wirelessly transmitted by the wireless information driving section 12 via the antenna 11. Power transmission and information transmission / reception to the wireless card 1, content determination,
By performing the update, the information stored in the IC chip 4 in the wireless card 1 is updated as necessary.

Subsequently, the rewriting and recording of the image on the image display unit 2 by the thermal head 14 are performed together with the detection of the image rewriting unit detecting sensor 16, and the rewriting image is based on the reading and writing of the information by wireless at the preceding stage. The image is determined by When the rewriting recording of the image display unit 2 is completed and the wireless card 1 is detected by the end detection sensor 18, the transport roller pair 17 is reversed, and the wireless card 1 is transported in the reverse direction as shown by a broken line in FIG. Then, all the processing ends.

Although the description is omitted because it does not relate to the present invention, for example, in the ejection process, a verification check as to whether or not the processing performed in the card reader / writer has been normally performed may be performed. No problem.

According to the present invention, the effect can be obtained when the image display unit 2 is rewritten and recorded by the above-described thermal head 14 in the card reader / writer. The wireless card 1 is devised so as to be in uniform contact with the display unit 2 and not to cause loss such as unerased data or writing error when rewriting and recording an image.

When the wireless card 1 does not require rewriting and recording of the image display unit 2, the card reader / writer described here may not be used, and the transmitting / receiving device which increases the transmittable / receivable distance of the radio wave. Is used, the processing can be performed simply by holding the wireless card over the transmittable / receivable area of the antenna as in the case of a normal wireless card.

Next, the effect obtained by the elastic layer 6 provided on the wireless card 1 which is a feature of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of the peripheral portion of the wireless card 1 through which the antenna 3 passes, wherein FIG. 5A shows a state in which the antenna 3 remains molded, and FIG. Therefore, a state is shown in which the thermal head 14 in the card reader / writer is pressed.

First, the antenna 3 in the wireless card 1 is fitted into the groove 9 of the base member 7 as described above. However, as shown in FIG. 5A, the wire is formed in a coil shape. When the yield is poor, the base material 7
May not fit completely in the groove 9 of the first embodiment. In such a case, a projection is formed on the surface layer 5.

When the elastic layer 6, which is a feature of the present invention, is not provided, the surface layer 5 cannot be deformed.
Due to the influence of the convex portion, there is a portion where the image display section 2 in the vicinity of the convex portion cannot contact even if the thermal head 14 is pressed.

On the other hand, since the surface layer 5 is also made of resin,
Although elastic deformation such as crushing cannot be performed, elastic deformation can be performed without changing the thickness. When the thermal head 14 is pressed by providing the elastic layer 6 as shown in FIG. The surface layer 5 is deformed together with the layer 6, and a uniform contact state is obtained on the image display unit 2.
Therefore, the rewriting of the image can be performed without any loss such as unerased data or writing error.

The elastic layer 6 is in a crushed state in the state shown in FIG.
When the pressing of the antenna 4 is released, the state shown in FIG. 5A is restored, and no stress that adversely affects the antenna 3 is applied.

FIG. 5 illustrates the effect of the present invention on the influence of the antenna 3. However, the elastic layer 6 is not affected by the shape of the IC chip 4 and the unevenness of the surface layer 5 due to other effects. Has the same effect.

Next, a second embodiment will be described.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the wireless card with a display function according to the second embodiment when disassembled for each component, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wireless card in a molded state. In the first embodiment, the elastic layer 6 is provided over the entire surface of the card. In the second embodiment, however, as shown in FIG. Is provided. The materials, thickness, and the like used for the other components are the same as those in the first embodiment.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the appearance of the wireless card 1 of the present embodiment is such that the image display section 2 rises by the thickness of the elastic layer 6. Therefore, when the image of the image display unit 2 is rewritten and recorded by the thermal head 14 in the card reader / writer described in the first embodiment, the thermal head 14 is raised regardless of the unevenness of the peripheral portion. The elastic member 6 comes into contact with the portion 2 without fail, and uniform contact can be obtained by the deformation action of the elastic layer 6. As a result, similarly to the first embodiment, the rewrite recording of the image on the image display unit 2 can be performed without causing any loss such as unerased data or writing error.

Next, a third embodiment will be described.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the wireless card with a display function according to the third embodiment when disassembled for each component. In the third embodiment, the surface layer 5 and the base material 7 are joined by the adhesive 21 having the properties of the elastic body in the molded state without using the elastic layer 6 used in the first embodiment. I have to. The materials used for each of the other components,
The thickness and the like are the same as in the first embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained by using the adhesive 21. However, the elastic layer 6 as in the first embodiment is separately provided. Since there is no need to provide them, this can be realized more simply. The adhesive 21 needs to exhibit the properties of an elastic body in a molded state and have sufficient adhesive strength, and is preferably made of a synthetic rubber as a main component. For example, although not limited thereto, Three Bond 1521 manufactured by Three Bond Co., Ltd. can be used.

When the wireless card 1 was formed by using this, sufficient adhesive strength and elasticity were obtained, and as in the first embodiment, the rewriting of the image on the image display unit 2 was left unerased or the writing was not completed. Without any deficiency.

As described in detail above, by using the wireless card with a display function of the present invention, it is possible to perform the rewrite recording of the display image on the image display unit without causing any loss such as unerased recording or writing failure. Become. For example, when the wireless card with a display function of the present invention is used as a multi-function card having a composite function, the effect is effectively exerted.

That is, in the case where the entry / exit to a specific facility is given as an ID function for personal authentication, it is not necessary to rewrite and record the image display unit. In the case of shopping without cash by paying a fixed amount in advance, such as a prepaid function, the wireless card can be processed simply by holding the wireless card over the antenna transmit / receive area. Since the amount decreases with each use, a device such as the card reader / writer described above is prepared to rewrite the remaining amount display, so that wireless information communication and rewriting and recording of display images can be performed at the same time. Depending on the function of the wireless card, the user can use the wireless card more conveniently.

[0058]

As described in detail above, according to the wireless card with a display function of the present invention, an elastic layer or an adhesive exhibiting the characteristics of an elastic body in a molded state is provided between a base material and an image display section. With this arrangement, even if unevenness due to the effect of the built-in antenna, the electronic circuit section, or the like occurs, the image recording means such as a rigid thermal head can be brought into uniform contact with the image display section. The rewriting record can be performed without any loss such as unerased data or writing errors.

Further, by using a foam material for the elastic body, the heat applied to the image display unit is not transmitted due to the heat insulating effect, so that the antenna and the electronic circuit unit can be prevented from being thermally damaged.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a wireless card with a display function according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view when the wireless card is disassembled for each component.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the coloring / decoloring characteristics of a recording material capable of rewriting recording of a visible image by heat.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram schematically showing a configuration of a card reader / writer.

5A and 5B are cross-sectional views of a peripheral portion of an end through which an antenna of a wireless card passes, and FIG.
(B) shows a state where the thermal head is pressed.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary perspective view of a wireless card with a display function according to a second embodiment of the present invention, which is disassembled for each component;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the wireless card in a molded state.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary perspective view of a wireless card with a display function according to a third embodiment of the present invention when the wireless card is disassembled for each component;

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Wireless card, 2 ... Image display part, 3 ... Antenna, 4 ... IC chip (electronic circuit part), 5 ... Surface layer (surface part), 6 ... Elastic layer, 7 ... Base material .., 8... Back surface layer, 9... Groove, 11... Antenna 12,... Wireless information drive unit 14, thermal head 17, transport roller pair, 21. adhesive.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A flat base material, an antenna embedded in one surface of the base material, for performing wireless communication with the outside, and a predetermined communication by communicating with the outside via the antenna. An electronic circuit portion for performing processing; and an image recording layer provided on a surface of the base on which the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are embedded, and capable of recording and erasing a visible image by external heat energy. A wireless card comprising: an image display unit having: an elastic layer provided between the base material and the image display unit. 2. An elastic layer is provided between a surface portion on which the image display portion is provided and a surface of the substrate on which the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are embedded. The wireless card according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The wireless card according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer is provided over the entire surface of the base on which the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are embedded. 4. The antenna and the electronic circuit portion are exposed on the image display portion side of the base material, and the elastic layer is provided continuously above the antenna and the electronic circuit portion. 3. The wireless card according to claim 1, wherein an electronic circuit portion is sealed from the outside by the elastic layer. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer is provided only on a portion corresponding to the image display unit.
Or the wireless card according to 2. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the elastic layer is made of a foam material, and also functions as heat insulation from the image display unit side.
Or the wireless card according to 2. 7. A flat base material, an antenna buried in one surface of the base material for wirelessly communicating with the outside, and communicating with the outside via the antenna to provide a predetermined An electronic circuit portion for performing processing, and an adhesive having a characteristic of an elastic body is bonded to a surface of the base on which the antenna and the electronic circuit portion are buried, and a visible image is formed by external heat energy. A wireless card, comprising: an image display unit having an image recording layer that can be recorded and erased. 8. The predetermined processing performed by the electronic circuit unit includes storing, updating, and reading information.
The wireless card described.