JPS6152788A - Information card having display function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To display a portion of some information which is magnetically recorded so as to read visually by applying voltage to an optical and thermal type writing system liquid crystal layer enclosed in an information card and irradiating laser and changing the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecule. CONSTITUTION:When a commutation ticket card or the like is bought, the amount paid or the like is magnetically recorded in a magnetic stripe 3 and the applying terminal of a card issuing device contacts respectively contact plates of a card 1 to apply electric field to a segment except a segment electrode 10. Then, at the same time when laser is irradiatad from a front cover 6 towards a window portion 2 to heat, the molecule of the liquid crystal is oriented toward the direction of electric field and becomes transparent and the portion except it becomes white to display to amount paid. In the case of using the card 1, a new balance from which the amount of payment is written in the magnetic stripe 3, voltage is applied to the segment whidh is not corresponding to the figure of the new balance, and at the same time, laser is irradiated to rewrite the balance.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] A liquid crystal layer that can be photothermally written on is formed in thin plastic, paper, etc., such as credit cards and savings passbooks.

The present invention relates to an information card that can be used for commuter passes, etc.

[Conventional technology]

BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, information cards have been widely used that use cards on which specific information is stored magnetically or electrically, and the stored information can be read, collated, and processed as needed. For example, a credit card that allows you to purchase goods without paying cash on your personal credit, a cash card that allows you to withdraw cash from a bank account using an unmanned withdrawal machine, and an ID card that allows you to check who enters and exits a specific room. These include employee ID cards that are ID-style, membership cards that allow admission to members-only clubs, and discount-type ride cards that allow you to pay a certain amount in advance and use rides up to that amount. These traditional information cards use a micro 7" processor containing magnetic stripes, bar codes, special printed characters, and even non-volatile memory to store specific information about the cardholder and the card itself. These storage means used to store information about individuals or cards.However, in these information cards, the information stored is performed by magnetic or electronic conversion, and the card itself is Even with visual inspection, these memorized information cannot be read,
In order for the holder to know the stored contents, the information card must be connected to a verification device or an automatic payout device. For this reason, the card holder has to use the device each time to check the contents, which is inconvenient. With a coupon card that allows you to subtract the amount you spend on transportation and use the transportation many times until the amount is used up, the holder does not know the remaining amount or expiration date. As a result, there have been cases where the remaining amount available for use is insufficient, and cases where it is not possible to use transportation facilities whose expiration date has passed.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention provides an information card in which a photothermal writing type liquid crystal layer is enclosed within a carrier.

[Effect]

In this information card, by irradiating the liquid crystal layer with a laser beam and applying a voltage between the electrodes, the molecular axes of the liquid crystal shift and the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules changes, so it cannot be magnetically recorded on the magnetic recording means. A piece of information can be displayed in a visually readable manner. This liquid crystal display retains the pre-displayed state when the laser light irradiation is stopped and cools down, and does not change, so the holder can always check the remaining amount available or the expiration date on the card itself. can.

〔Example〕

1, 2, and 3 show the information card 1 with the display function of this embodiment. - It is a sectional view taken in the direction of arrow A. A transparent window part 2 is formed at the top and bottom of the card 1 at a position biased to one side, and the remaining amount is displayed in this window part 2 as a 7-segment, 4-digit number. Further, information is magnetically written on the surface of the card 1 parallel to the long side opposite to the window 2, and a rewritable magnetic stripe 3 is attached. A plurality of contact plates 4 are exposed and fixed to the back surface of the card 1 at intervals along each long side, and each of the contact plates 4 is
The 7-segment transparent hard plate inside the window part 2 and the 1st part f''
Figure 3 shows a cross section of the card 1 including the window 2. The card 1 includes a substrate sheet 5 made of insulating synthetic resin, a front cover 6, and a back cover 7. Assembled, each board sheet 5, front cover 6, back cover 7
are thin-walled rectangles with the same external shape, and the three are stacked to form one card. A hole 8 is formed in the middle of the substrate sheet 5 and opens vertically, and this hole 8 functions as the window 2 described above. At the opening position of the opening 8, a transparent common electrode 9 is deposited on the lower surface of the front cover 6, and a transparent segment electrode 10 of 7 segments and 4 digits is deposited on the upper surface of the back cover 7. The electrode 10 and the contact plate 4 are electrically connected to each other by a conductor 11 that vertically penetrates the back cover 7. The rectangular cavity formed in the card 1 by the opening 8, the front cover 6, and the back cover 7 contains a photothermal writable liquid crystal, a smectic liquid crystal with positive dielectric anisotropy (for example, P-shield Nopenzylidene-y-octylaniline CBOA) is enclosed in the electrode 9
, 10 are assembled together with a liquid crystal panel that has been subjected to vertical alignment treatment.

The substrate sheet 5 is made of opaque synthetic resin, and the name 12 of the card 1, the name of the issuing company 13, etc. are printed on the surface of the board, and conductive holes 14 are formed in the corners to penetrate vertically. A conductive adapter 15 is embedded in this conductive hole 14. The front cover 6 is made of transparent synthetic resin, and the aforementioned common electrode 9 is deposited on the lower surface thereof, and terminal portions 16 are also deposited on the corners of the front cover 6. The terminal portion 16 is connected to a conductive wire 17. This terminal part 16 is in contact with the upper end of the adapter 15, and the lower end of the adapter 15 is in contact with the common contact plate 18 at the farthest corner.
are electrically connected.

Further, the back cover 7 is made of a transparent synthetic resin, and the transparent segment electrodes 10 of the 7 segments and 4 digits are vapor-deposited on the upper surface thereof, and the segments constituting each segment electrode 10 are independent. The conductive wires 19 made conductive are also radially deposited, and each conductive wire 19 is connected to the contact plate 4, respectively.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

The information card in the embodiment is, for example, a railway.

An automatic ticket gate device that stores the amount paid in advance for riding on public transportation such as buses and taxis, and stores the prepaid amount and the amount used each time the public transportation is used.

An example will be described in which the ticket is applied to a coupon card that allows the user to pass the ticket through a ticket inspection device, subtract it, and store the subtracted remaining amount again, and then use transportation facilities until the remaining amount is used up.

When purchasing this information card, you pay a predetermined amount for the column, and at the same time, information about the payment amount is magnetically recorded on the magnetic stripe 3 (the magnetic stripe 3 includes the issue date, expiration date, and issue date). Information such as location is also recorded). and each contact plate 4 of the information card 1 in a ticket issuing device (not shown).
The application terminal in the device comes into contact with and applies an electric field to the segment other than the corresponding segment of the segment electrode 10 corresponding to the payment amount (a common electric field is applied to the entire display area to the common electrode 9), and the front cover 6 A laser beam is irradiated onto the window 2 to heat the sealed liquid crystal. The application of this electric field and the heating of the laser beam produce a thermo-optical effect, and a 7-segment, 4-digit number, ie the full amount paid, is displayed in the window 2. In this thermo-optic effect, when an electric field is applied to a smectic liquid crystal and a laser beam is irradiated, the liquid crystal heated by the laser beam becomes transparent because its molecules align in the direction of the electric field in the high temperature region, and no electric field is applied. When the heated liquid crystal part cools down, it becomes cloudy with a focal conic structure. The numbers are displayed on this cloudy liquid crystal, and since the liquid crystal is viscous, the cloudy numbers will not be erased.
Maintain its display state. Therefore, the amount of money that can be paid to use transportation is magnetically stored in the magnetic stripe 3, and the same amount is displayed in numbers on the liquid crystal sealed in the aperture 8 in the window section 2.

Next, when using this information card 1 to use public transportation, the information card 1 is inserted into an automatic ticket gate (not shown), and the information stored in the magnetic card 3 is read and stored. It is determined whether the information card 3 is valid or not, and whether the remaining amount is greater than or equal to the amount to be used from now on. If it is valid, a new remaining amount is calculated by subtracting the used amount from the read remaining amount. The new balance is written on the magnetic stripe 3 and stored. Then, the terminals in the automatic ticket gate come into contact with the contact plate 4 of the information card 1, apply a voltage to the segment of the segment electrode 10 that does not correspond to the new balance number, and irradiate the window 2 with a laser beam. As a result, the liquid crystal sealed in the opening 8 is heated and the state of the liquid crystal molecules changes, but the liquid crystal in the part where the stain pressure is applied by the segment electrode 10 is not transparent, and the part where it is not is in a cloudy state. The displayed number will not be rewritten with the new remaining amount value, and the remaining amount stored on the magnetic stripe 3 and the remaining amount displayed on the LCD in the window 2 will match, and the owner will be able to check the remaining amount of the available transportation. Can be read visually.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to store specific information, and furthermore, since a part of the stored information can be displayed on a liquid crystal display, the contents can be viewed without using a specific verification device. can be perceived. Since this display does not require a power source such as a battery or a control mechanism such as a CPU, it has a simple configuration and can be produced in large quantities at low cost. This improves the reliability of stored information. In addition, the liquid crystal display cannot be rewritten without applying voltage and heating, and the data is stable without being erased even when cultivated at the same temperature as daily life. It can be reused by modifying or changing it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a surface view of an information card showing an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a back view of the same as above, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line A--A in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the information card. 1... Information card, 2... Window section, 3...
Magnetic stripe, 4... Contact plate, 5... Substrate sheet, 6... Front sheet, 7... Back sheet,
8... Opening hole, 9.10... Electrode,
12...Liquid crystal.

Claims (1)

[Claims] An information card with a display function characterized by being composed of a thin flat carrier and a photothermal writing type liquid crystal enclosed within the carrier.