JP2552730B2 - Metal case for IC storage - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an IC housing metal case, and more particularly to a thin metal case for housing an electronic component including an IC. Such a metal case is applied to a thin product represented by a card type electronic product, and examples thereof include an IC card and a card type calculator. Although an IC card will be described as a typical example in the present specification, it goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to any thin plate-shaped electronic product that accommodates an IC and other electronic components.

(Prior Art) Today, in the so-called card era, along with the development and popularization of computer equipment, an IC card containing an IC including a data storage unit and a data processing unit has replaced the conventional magnetic card with a magnetic tape attached. Is being considered for practical use. Since this IC card has a significantly larger storage capacity than magnetic cards, it is expected to be used, for example, as a substitute for bankbooks for banking and as a chart for medical care. Is also being researched.

By the way, the IC card basically needs to have a thickness of about 0.7 mm, which is the same as the conventional magnetic card, and if the plastic plate substrate with the IC chip built in is used, the IC chip bonding part can be bent. There is a possibility that a wire breakage will occur, resulting in data destruction and function stoppage.

Therefore, the use of an IC card in which an IC chip and other electronic components are housed in a metal case to improve bending rigidity is being considered. This IC card has excellent durability against sliding and dirt, and if a metal material such as stainless steel or titanium is used for the metal case, there is no fear of rusting.

Such a metal case is composed of a metal container and a metal lid, and in the present specification, the one in which the metal container and the metal lid are integrally joined is referred to as a metal case. Of course, it goes without saying that the joining of the two is performed after the IC chip and other electronic components are housed.

FIG. 9 shows an example of an IC card using such a metal case, FIG. 9 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 9 (b) is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 9 (a). . l ₁ and l ₂ are the same as conventional plastic magnetic cards, and according to the standard, l ₁ = 85.60 mm and l ₂ = 54.00 mm. The corner radius is
For example, R = 3.0 mm. The total thickness T is the same as the conventional magnetic card, and is 0.76 mm according to the international standard.

An IC chip and other electronic components are housed in a space 1 formed by a shallow container-shaped metal container 2 and a metal lid 3. The peripheral portion 3'of the plate-shaped metal lid 3 is welded to the metal container 2 to form the metal case 4, and the space 1 inside thereof is in a hermetically sealed state. The metal lid 3 has a display window 5 for storing contents
And a through hole 6 for keys such as a power switch and an input button. The metal lid 3 is a flat plate having a thickness of 50 to 100 μm, and the display portion 5 and the key 6 have through holes.

Only the metal container 2 is shown in FIG. FIG. 10 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 10 (b) is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 10 (a). As described above, the metal container 2 is in the shape of a shallow container having the recessed portion 7 forming the space 1 for housing the IC chip and other electronic components. A frame-shaped side wall surface 2b is provided around the recessed portion 7, and the width thereof is, for example, b ₁ = 2 mm and b ₂ = 3 mm.

As far the thickness, the thickness t _b of the side wall surface 2b of about 0.6 mm, the thickness t _a of the bottom surface 2a is about 0.1 mm.

Since t _a is extremely smaller than t _b , it is extremely inefficient to form the recess 7 of the metal container 2 by machining or etching, and it cannot be said to be industrial.

Therefore, as a method of manufacturing the metal container 2, as shown in FIG. 11, a method of welding the frame-shaped frame 8 and the peripheral portion of the bottom plate 9 can be considered. 11 (A) is a plan view, FIG. 11 (B) is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 11 (A), and FIG. 11 (C) is a partially enlarged view. However, with this method,
As shown in FIG. 11 (c), the welding bead 11 must be smoothly polished, and the corners 2f of the metal container 2 must be rounded to ensure a good feel as a card, which is troublesome.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) Then, as a metal container 2 having a rounded corner 2f, there is one described in Japanese Patent Application No. 63-174598 or Japanese Patent Application No. 63-230509. This is shown in Figure 12 (a) to
As shown in FIG. 12 (d), the frame 13 is fitted and joined to the metal container 2 obtained by drawing a flat plate.
The corner 2f is rounded by bending. 12 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 12 (b) is a sectional view taken along the line D-D of FIG. 12 (a), and FIGS. 12 (c) and 12 (d) are partially enlarged views. is there.

However, when the metal case 4 shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b) is manufactured using the metal container 2 shown in FIGS. 12 (a) to 12 (d), There are four problems.

First, the first problem is the texture and appearance of the corners on the opening side. That is, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 12C, the end surface 2c of the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 and the frame 13
If the edge position of and matches the surface position, the edge part
It is desirable to give 2d a roundness, but since the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 has a thin plate thickness of about 0.1 mm or less,
Difficult to round by polishing. Further, as shown in a partially enlarged view of FIG. 12 (d), the position of the end face 2c is the frame 13
If it is lower than the upper surface of
It is also necessary to round the edge portion 13d.

Next, the second problem is that when the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 and the frame 13 are welded, the welded portion is exposed, so that the appearance quality of the welded portion must be paid close attention.
The partially enlarged view of FIG. 13 (a) shows a case where the end surface 2c of the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 and the frame 13 are laser-welded, and the bead 11 located at the corner needs to be smoothly finished in the circumferential direction. . Further, FIG. 13 (B) shows a case where the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 and the frame 13 are spot-welded. However, when the texture of the indentations 16 and 16 'of the welded portion and the appearance are a problem, the polishing is corrected. There is a need to. In particular, in the case of an IC card, the indentation 16 on the long side causes a problem when it is applied to an automatic reader because it wears the guide of the reader. Note that, as shown in FIG. 13C, the indentation 16 ″ does not become an obstacle if only the corner portion is welded, but there is a problem that the joint strength between the metal container 2 and the frame 13 decreases.

Next, the third problem is that when an adhesive resin is made to exist at the interface 17 between the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 and the frame 13 for the purpose of improving the bonding force, watertightness, etc. When the welding is performed as in (1), the combustion gas of the resin is generated by the heat at the time of welding, and holes called blow holes are generated in the welded portion. In the worst case, it may not be possible to weld at all. This also poses a problem when the peripheral edge portion 3'of the metal lid 3 is welded to the metal container 2 in the vicinity of the interface 17, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG.

Furthermore, the fourth problem is the strength of the bead 11 when the peripheral edge portion 3'of the metal lid 3 is welded to the metal case 2, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. As described above, one of the roles of the metal case 4 is to protect the IC and other electronic parts inserted inside. Therefore, it must have sufficient strength against bending deformation and torsional deformation. By the way, as shown in FIG.
In many cases, since the display portion 5 and the through hole 6 for the key are formed in the container, the rigidity is lower than that of the bottom surface of the metal container 2. Therefore, the bending neutral surface of the metal case 4 exists closer to the bottom surface 2a of the metal container 2 than the center of thickness. As a result, when bending deformation is applied to the metal case 4, the largest expansion or contraction deformation occurs in the vicinity of the weld bead 11 between the metal lid 3 and the metal container 2. If this is repeated, the weld bead 11 may have a crack, and if the crack occurs, water or the like will enter the metal case, and the functions of the IC and other electronic parts of the charge will be impaired.

An object of the present invention is to provide an IC housing metal case that can solve the above four problems.

(Means for Solving the Problems) As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the present inventors have obtained the findings listed below.

First, regarding the appearance of the metal case and ensuring the feel of the corners, use stainless steel, titanium, etc. for the case material to minimize the exposure of the welded part, and touch the welded part with the hand. There is no part.

Secondly, when the side wall surface of the metal container and the frame are welded, a welded portion (for example, spot welding) is exposed. This portion is provided with a side wall surface on the metal lid and is covered with the side wall surface.

Thirdly, when the side wall surface of the metal container is bonded to the frame, adhesion failure due to welding of the metal lid is considered, but the welded part is separated from the adhesion surface or the metal lid is also adhered.

Fourthly, regarding the improvement of bending and torsional rigidity, which is the most important function in the metal case for IC storage, this is not easy to solve because only materials with a thickness of 0.1 mm or less can be used. However, it can be improved to some extent by fitting and fixing the side wall surface of the metal container and the side wall surface of the metal lid.
Further, if a frame (metal ring) having substantially the same thickness as the depth of the recess is fitted and fixed inside the side wall surface of the metal container, the bending rigidity is significantly increased.

As a result of further studies by the present inventors based on these findings, the present invention has been completed.

Here, the gist of the present invention is a metal case having a space for accommodating an electronic component including an IC, comprising: (i) a bottom surface and side wall surfaces rising from the entire circumference of the bottom surface, A metal container having a rounded corner from the side wall surface to the side wall surface, and (ii) a frame fitted to the side wall surface inside the side wall surface, if desired, (iii) the metal container Of the side wall surface of the metal container having a rounded corner portion from the top surface to the side wall surface, and the inner surface of the side wall surface has a rounded corner. It is a metal case for IC storage that consists of a metal lid that is joined to.

In this IC storage metal case, the metal container and the metal lid are preferably joined by welding or bonding, and the metal container forms a metal plate having a plate thickness equal to the thickness of the bottom surface. It is desirable that the obtained molded product has a side wall surface having a height equal to the depth of the space.

Further, in the above invention, the metal lid is a molded product having a side wall surface having a depth smaller than the total height of the metal container obtained by molding a metal plate having a thickness equal to the thickness of the top surface thereof. Is desirable.

In the above invention, the display window or the through hole for the key may be provided on the bottom surface of the metal container or the top surface of the metal lid, and the metal case for storing ICs obtained by the invention. Is suitable for use in an IC card or a card-type calculator.

Such a metal case for storing ICs is applied to store ICs and other electronic components of products of thin thickness using ICs represented by card-type electronic products.

In the present specification, an IC card will be described as a representative example of the IC card.
It goes without saying that the present invention can be applied to any product as long as it accommodates other electronic components.

(Operation) Next, the metal case for storing IC according to the present invention will be described in more detail based on some examples with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that these are merely examples of the present invention, and the present invention should not be construed to be limited thereto.

1 (a) to 1 (c) are a first example of the metal case of the present invention. FIG. 1 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 1 (b) is FIG. 1 (a). 6 is a sectional view taken along line EE in FIG. The metal container 2 has the same structure as that shown in FIG. 14, and the metal container 2 is covered with a metal lid 18 to form a space 1. In the case of the present invention, in any of the metal container and the metal lid, the side wall surface is raised from the entire circumference of the bottom surface or the top surface, and the corner portion from the bottom surface or the top surface to the side wall surface is rounded. To be done.

In the present specification, for convenience of description, also in the following examples of metal cases, those located inside the metal container 2 on the side wall surface are referred to as metal containers, and those located outside are referred to as metal lids. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and the present invention is equally applicable to the case where the outer side of the side wall surface is called a metal container and the inner side is called a metal lid. What can be done is easily conceived by those skilled in the art.

In FIG. 1 (a), the outer diameter dimension l of the metal case 10
₁ l ₂ and the rounded inner diameter R of the corner are the same as l ₁ , l ₂ and R shown in FIG. 9, respectively. Further, in the metal lid 18, as in FIG. 9, the display portion 5 and the through hole 6 for the key are opened. Further, in FIG. 1B, a frame 13 is fitted and joined to the inner periphery of the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2. The thickness of the frame 13 is the same as the height of the space 1 in the figure. Then, in the space 1 surrounded by the metal container 2 and the metal lid 18, the IC and other electronic parts are housed, as in FIG.

That is, the main difference between the conventional IC housing metal case shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b) and the IC housing metal case according to the present invention lies in the structure of the metal lid. Therefore, the metal lid used in the metal case for storing IC according to the present invention will be described below.

2 (a) and 2 (b) are explanatory views showing only the metal lid 18, FIG. 2 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 2 (b) is F- of FIG. 2 (a). FIG. The metal lid 18 has a side wall surface 18b on the periphery. 18a is a top surface corresponding to the top surface. The outer dimensions l ₁ ′ and l ₂ ′, the corner rounding radius R ′ and the thickness t _d ′ of the side wall surface 18b are as shown in FIG. 1 (b) and FIG.
As shown in Fig. ₁ , it is determined that the outer diameter dimensions l ₁ and l ₂ and the corner radius R of FIG. 1 (a) can be obtained when closely fitted to the outer surface of the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2. . That is, the third
The outer diameter dimensions l ₁ ″, l ₂ ″ and R ″ of the metal container 2 shown in the figure are t _d ′.
In consideration of this, the size is made smaller than the conventional metal container 2 shown in FIG.

Further, the height t _c of the metal lid 18 shown in FIG.
As shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 3C, it is determined that the welding bead 11 is formed at a predetermined position near the corner 2f of the bottom surface 2a of the metal container. As shown in FIG. 2B, the metal lid 18 is integrally formed from a thin metal plate having a thickness t _d of the top surface 18a thereof,
For example, it is formed by press molding. The thickness t _d may be the same as the thickness t _d of the metal lid 3 shown in FIG. 9 (b), and the total thickness T of the metal case 10 shown in FIG. 1 is the thickness shown in FIG. 9 (b). Same as T.

In the metal case 10 of FIG. 1, the end surface 18c of the side wall surface 18b of the metal lid 18 and the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 are joined, for example, welded, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG.

The advantages of the metal case 10 using such a box-shaped metal lid 18 will be described.

First, the first advantage is that the polishing finishing step can be omitted. That is, the corner 18f of the metal lid 18 is rounded by the molding process similarly to the corner 2f of the bottom surface 2a of the metal container 2, and the periphery of the opening of the metal container 2 is covered with the metal lid 18. Therefore, the edge corner 2d of the metal container 2 shown in FIG. 12 (c) and the frame shown in FIG. 12 (d).
The rounding of the corner 13d of 13 is unnecessary. In addition, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG.
The welding bead 11 on the end surface 18c of b can be positioned so as to be smoothly connected to the roundness of the corner 2f of the bottom surface 2a of the metal container 2 so that the polishing finish of the bead 11 can be omitted.

The second advantage is that since the side wall surface 2b of the metal container 2 is covered with the metal lid 18, the welded portion between the metal container 2 and the frame 13, that is, the weld bead 11 in FIG. The appearance quality of the spot welding indentations 16 and 16 ′ in (b) and the spot welding indentation 16 ″ in FIG. 13 (c) does not pose any problem. As a result, the metal container 2 with excellent joint strength is used. it can.

The third advantage is that, as shown in FIG. 1C, since the welding bead 11 is separated from the interface 17 between the metal container 2 and the frame 13, there is no need for welding even if the adhesive resin is present at the interface 17. There is no problem.

A fourth advantage is that the expansion or contraction of the weld bead 11 when the metal case 10 is bent is smaller than that of the weld bead 11 of the metal case 4 shown in FIG. 14, and cracks are less likely to occur. This is because the weld bead 11 is located on the bottom side of the metal container 2 as shown in FIG.

A fifth advantage is that since the metal lid 18 and the metal container 2 are welded, if the bending rigidity is satisfied, the frame 13 and the metal container 2 are welded.
It is also possible to omit the joining with. In this case, the manufacturing process of the metal container 2 is simplified.

Due to the above five advantages, all the weak points of the metal case 4 shown in FIG. 10 are covered. In addition, in the metal case 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2, the display window 5 and the through hole 6 for the key are provided on the top surface 18a of the metal lid 18, but these are provided on the bottom surface of the metal container 2. It may be provided. The metal case 10 'of FIG. 4 is an example thereof. FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 4 (b) is a sectional view taken along line H-H of FIG. 4 (a), and FIG. FIG.

Similar to FIG. 1, the end surface 1 of the side wall surface 18'b of the metal lid 18 '
8'c is welded to the side wall 2'b of the metal container 2 ', and the outer dimensions of the metal container 2'are the same as the outer dimensions l ₁ and l ₂ of the metal case 10' (same as in FIG. 1). Side wall surface 18 'of the lid 18'
It is manufactured in consideration of the thickness of b.

By the way, the frame 13 in the metal container 2 shown in FIG. 12 has two roles. The first role is to secure the bending rigidity of the metal container 2. That is, in the metal case 4 shown in FIG. 14, since the flat metal lid 3 has a low rigidity, the metal container 2
This is because the rigidity of the metal case 4 is increased to cover most of the rigidity of the metal case 4.

The second role, as shown in FIG. 14, is to serve as a mating member for welding the metal lid 3. This is because extremely high positioning accuracy is required to weld the peripheral edge portion 3'of the metal lid 3 to the end surface 2c of the side wall surface 2b of the narrow metal container 2, and the heat generated during welding causes waviness in the end surface 2c. If it occurs or if the adhesive resin is present at the interface 17, the generated gas is likely to be mixed in the welded portion. That is, the frame 13 must be used separately from the first role. As long as the rigidity can be satisfied, the larger the plane size of the space 1 inside the metal case 4 shown in FIG. 14, that is, the larger the inner size l ₀₁ , l ₀₂ of the frame 13 of the metal container 2 shown in FIG. It goes without saying that many ICs and other electronic components can be arranged with a margin. For that purpose, the widths b ₁ ′ and b ₂ ′ of the frame 13 of the metal container 2 shown in FIG. 12 (a) may be reduced, but at least 1 mm is required to weld the metal lid 3 as shown in FIG. A certain range is necessary. Further, it is efficient to manufacture the frame 13 by punching from a plate material with a plate thickness of about 0.5 mm, but the width of the frame 13 needs to be at least about 1 mm from the viewpoint of strength and life of the punching tool. . That is, in the metal case 4 having the structure shown in FIG.
Therefore, the plane size of the internal space 1 is restricted.

On the other hand, the second example of the metal case according to the present invention is the fifth example.
It is the metal case 20 without the frame 13 shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view and FIG. 5 (b) is
Is a sectional view taken along the line II of FIG. 5 (a), and FIG. 5 (c) is a partially enlarged view thereof. The metal case 20 has a structure in which a metal lid 19 is placed on the metal container 2 having a shallow panel shape. External dimensions l ₁ ″,
The l ₂ ″ and the corner radius R ″ are the same as in FIG. 3, and are l ₁ , l ₂ and R, respectively. Side wall surface 22b shown in FIG.
Has a thickness ta 'which is equal to or greater than the thickness ta of the bottom surface, and the inner dimensions l ₀₁ ′ and l ₀₂ ′ of the metal container 2 shown in FIG. It can be larger than the wall size. Then, after the IC and other electronic components are stored in the space 1 formed by the metal container 2, as shown in FIG. 5C, the end surface 19c of the side wall surface 19b of the metal lid 19 is entirely surrounded by the metal container 2 side. It is welded to the wall surface 22b. In addition, 11 is a welding bead.

A plan view and a sectional view of a single body of the metal container used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 are shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b).

In the metal case 20 shown in FIG. 5, the metal lid 19 is provided with the display window 5 and the through hole 6 for the key.
Needless to say, it may be provided on the flat surface portion of.

The metal case 20 'in FIG. 7 is an example of this, and FIG. 7 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 7 (b) is a side sectional view, and FIG. 7 (c).
Is an enlarged view of the part. Similar to the IC housing metal case according to the present invention shown in FIG. 5, the side wall surface 1 of the metal lid 19 'is shown.
The end surface 19'c of 9'b is welded to the side wall surface 22'b of the metal container 2 '.

By the way, in the metal cases 10, 10 ', 20, 20' of FIGS. 1, 4, 5, and 7, the metal lids 18, 18 ', 19, 1 are used.
The 9'and the metal containers 2, 2'are integrated by welding, but it goes without saying that they may be joined by an adhesive instead of welding.

FIG. 8A shows an example in which the metal case 10 of FIG. 1 is assembled by adhesion, and an adhesive layer 23 is provided on the contact surface between the metal lid 18 and the metal container 2. 5B shows an example in which the metal case 20 of FIG. 5 is assembled by adhesion, and an adhesive layer 24 is provided on the contact surface between the side wall surface 19b of the metal lid 19 and the side wall surface 22b of the metal container 2.

It should be noted that the metal lid end surface corner portions 18d and 19d may be rounded by polishing or the like, if necessary, in order to smooth the texture.

The metal case for storing an IC according to the present invention thus obtained can store an electronic component including an IC, and in particular, the demand for the IC card or the card type calculator has been remarkably increasing in recent years. It is extremely suitable for use in.

(Example) Next, an example will be described.

Example 1 This example shows an example of manufacturing the metal case 10 shown in FIG.

Thickness obtained by pressing a SUS304G stainless steel thin plate
0.1 mm, 0.5 mm deep metal container 2 with 0.5 mm thick SUS304
A stainless steel frame 13 was fitted and bonded, and the side wall surface of the bonded product was spot welded at a pitch of about 5 mm as shown in Fig. 13 (b), and l ₁ ″ = 85.5 mm, l ₂ shown in FIG. ″ = 5
3.9mm, R ″ = 2.95mm, l ₀₁ = 81.5mm, l ₀₂ = 49.9mm, t _b
= 0.6 mm of metal container 2 was obtained. IC in the recess of the container 2
After storing other electronic parts, S with a display part 5 and a through hole 6 for a key, a plate thickness of 0.05 mm and a depth of 0.5 mm
Cover the metal lid 18 made of US304G stainless steel and laser weld the entire circumference of the metal lid side wall end face 18c to the container 2 and the side wall face 2b as shown in FIG. , L ₁ = 85.6 mm, l ₂ = 54.0 mm, R = 3.0 m shown in FIG.
The IC card metal case 10 having m and T = 0.65 mm was used.

Example 2 In the metal container 2 of Example 1, spot welding between the metal container 2 and the frame 13 was omitted, and an IC card metal case having the same size and structure as in Example 1 could be obtained.

[Embodiment 3] This embodiment shows an example of manufacturing the metal case 10 'shown in FIG.

Display part 5 and through hole 6 for keys, plate thickness 0.05mm, depth
A metal container 2'obtained by pressing a 0.5 mm SUS304G stainless steel thin plate was fitted and adhered with a 0.5 mm SUS304 stainless steel frame 13 ', and the side wall surface of the bonded product is shown in FIG. As shown in (b), after the IC and other electronic parts are stored and bonded in the recess of the metal container 2'which is spot welded at a pitch of about 5 mm, the plate thickness is 0.1 mm and the depth is 0.5 mm.
SUS304G stainless steel metal lid 18 ', 4th
As shown in Figure (c), the entire circumference of the metal lid side wall end face 18'c is surrounded by the container 2 '.
The lid 18 'and the container 2'are integrated by laser welding to the side wall 2'b of the metal container shown in FIG. 4, and l ₁ = 85.6 mm, l ₂ = shown in FIG.
54.0mm, R = 3.0mm, T = 0.65mm IC card metal case 1
It was set to 0 '.

[Example 4] In the metal container 2'of Example 3, spot welding of the metal container 2'and the frame 13 'was omitted, and an IC card metal case having the same size and structure as Example 3 could be obtained. .

[Embodiment 5] This embodiment shows an example of manufacturing the metal case shown in FIG.

Manufactured from SUS304G stainless steel plate with a plate thickness of 0.1 mm, as shown in Fig. L ₁ ″ = 85.5 mm, l ₂ ″ = 53.9 mm, R ″ = 2.95 m
After storing the IC and other electronic parts in the recess 7 of the metal container 2 with m, l ₀₁ ′ = 85.3 mm, l ₀₂ ′ = 53.8 mm, t _b = 0.6 mm, the display unit 5 and the through hole 6 for the key With a plate thickness of 0.05
mm, 0.5 mm deep SUS304G stainless steel metal lid 19 is covered, and as shown in FIG. 5C, the metal lid side wall end surface 19c is welded to the container side wall surface 22b by laser welding, and the lid 19 and the container 2 are attached. Integrated as shown in FIG. 5, l ₁ = 85.6 mm, l ₂ = 54.0 mm, R
= 3.0 mm, T = 0.65 mm IC card metal case 20.

[Sixth Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the metal container 2 and the metal lid 18 are bonded by adhesion to obtain an IC card metal case shown in FIG.

[Embodiment 7] In Embodiment 5, the metal container 2 and the metal lid 19 are bonded by adhesion to obtain an IC card metal case shown in FIG.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the metal case of the present invention is characterized by a structure in which a metal lid having a side wall surface that can be closely fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the metal container is covered and joined. Is a combination of a shallow ring container and a rectangular ring frame,
Alternatively, a shallow container alone is used. In the former case, the side wall surface of the metal container is not exposed, so when joining the side wall surface of the shallow container and the frame by spot welding etc., strong welding is possible without paying special attention to the appearance quality. Becomes Also, since the shallow container and the metal lid are joined,
On the contrary, it is possible to simplify the joining of the shallow container and the frame, or omit them in some cases.

Further, since the frame can be omitted and the metal container having a shallow shape can be covered with the metal lid, the manufacture of the metal container can be simplified and the weight can be reduced.

Further, in the metal case according to the present invention, since the opening end corner portion of the metal container is covered with the metal lid, rounding of the corner portion is unnecessary. In addition, since a rounded corner is formed at the boundary corner between the top surface and the side wall surface of the metal lid, the peripheral edge portion that was indispensable in the method of welding the peripheral edge portion of the conventional flat metal lid to the frame of the metal container was used. No need for polishing finish. That is, the metal case of the present invention has a smooth continuous bottom surface of the metal container, the top surface of the metal lid, and the side wall surface. Therefore, the metal case has excellent appearance quality and texture, and is suitable for an IC storage metal case such as an IC card.

Further, the metal case of the present invention is superior in bending or torsional rigidity to the conventional product, and is functionally improved as an IC housing metal case.

[Brief description of drawings]

1 (a), 1 (b) and 1 (c) are plan views of a metal case for storing an IC according to the present invention,
FIG. 2 (a) and FIG. 2 (b) are a plan view and a sectional view of a metal lid used in the metal case for storing an IC according to the present invention; FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. FIG. 3 (B) is a plan view and a cross-sectional view of a metal container used in the metal case for storing an IC according to the present invention; FIG. 4 (A), FIG. 4 (B) and FIG. , A plan view, a cross-sectional view and a partially enlarged view of another IC housing metal case according to the present invention; FIGS. 5 (a), 5 (b) and 5 (c) do not use a frame, respectively. , A plan view, a sectional view and a partially enlarged view of another metal case for storing IC according to the present invention; FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show another metal case for storing IC according to the present invention. Plan view and cross-sectional view of the metal container used; FIG. 7 (a), FIG. 7 (b) and 7 and FIG. 7 (c) are a plan view, a sectional view and a partial sectional view of another metal case for storing an IC according to the present invention in which a display window and a through hole are provided on the bottom surface of the metal container; A) is a metal case for storing an IC according to the present invention assembled by adhesion instead of welding, and FIG. 8 (b).
Is a partial cross-sectional view of a metal case for housing an IC, which is assembled by bonding; FIG. 9 (a) and FIG.
10A and 10B are a plan view and a sectional view of a metal case for storing an IC, respectively. FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B are a plan view and a sectional view of a conventional metal container, respectively. (B) and FIG. 11 (c) are a plan view, a sectional view and a partially enlarged view of another conventional metal container, respectively; FIG. 12 (a), FIG. 12 (b) and FIG. 12 (c). ) And the 12th
Figure (d) is a plan view, cross-sectional view, and partially enlarged view of a conventional metal container with a frame; respectively, Figure 13 (a), Figure 13 (b), and Figure 13 (c), respectively. FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view of a metal container welded with, a schematic perspective view and a schematic perspective view; and FIG. 14 is a partially enlarged view in which a metal lid is welded to the metal container. 1: Space, 2,2 ': Metal container 2a, 22a: Bottom surface, 2b, 2'b, 22b, 22'b: Side wall surface 2c: End surface, 2d: Edge portion 2f: Corner portion, 3,18, 18' , 19,19 ': Metal lid 3': Perimeter, 18a, 18'a: Top surface 18b, 18'b, 19b, 19'b: Side wall surface 18c, 18'c, 19c, 19'c: End surface 18d, 18f, 18′f, 19d: Corners 4,10,10 ′, 20,20 ′: Metal case 5: Display window, 6: Through hole 7: Recess, 8, 13: Frame 13d: Edge 11 : Weld beads, 16,16 ′, 16 ″: Indentation 17: Interface, 23, 24: Adhesive layer

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── --- Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-61-258798 (JP, A) JP-A-62-214698 (JP, A) Actually open Sho-62-94064 (JP, U) Actual-open Sho-58- 95680 (JP, U)

Claims (9)

(57) [Claims] 1. A metal case containing a space for housing an electronic component including an IC, comprising: (i) a bottom surface and a side wall surface rising from the entire circumference of the bottom surface, and a corner portion from the bottom surface to the side wall surface. A rounded metal container that forms the space; and (ii) a side wall surface and a top surface that can be closely fitted to the entire circumference of the side wall surface of the metal container. A metal case for storing an IC, which has a rounded corner portion to the side wall surface and a metal lid whose inner periphery is joined to the metal container. 2. A metal case having a built-in space for accommodating an electronic component including an IC, comprising: (i) a bottom surface and a side wall surface rising from the entire circumference of the bottom surface, and a corner portion from the bottom surface to the side wall surface. A round metal container forming the space; (ii) a frame fitted to the side wall surface inside the side wall surface; and (iii) a close fit on the entire outer circumference of the side wall surface of the metal container. An IC consisting of a side wall surface and a top surface that can be fitted together, the corners from the top surface to the side wall are rounded, and the inner circumference of the side wall surface is joined to the metal container. Metal case for storage. 3. The metal case for storing an IC according to claim 1, wherein the metal container and the metal lid are joined by welding or adhesion. 4. The metal container is a molded product obtained by molding a metal plate having a thickness equal to that of the bottom surface and having a side wall surface having a height equal to the depth of the space. The metal case for storing the IC according to claim 3. 5. The metal lid is a molded product having a side wall surface having a depth smaller than the total height of the metal container, which is obtained by molding a metal plate having a thickness equal to the thickness of the top surface of the metal lid. The metal case for storing an IC according to any one of claims 1 to 4. 6. The metal case for housing an IC according to claim 1, wherein the metal container has a display window or a through hole for a key on a bottom surface thereof. 7. The metal case for storing an IC according to claim 1, wherein the metal lid has a display window or a through hole for a key on a top surface thereof. 8. The metal case for accommodating an IC according to claim 1, which is used for an IC card. 9. The metal case for storing IC according to claim 6 or 7, which is used for a card type calculator.