JP4670586B2 - Non-contact IC card reader device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC card reader device that performs contactless communication with an IC card. For example, an ID card, a management card, a commuter pass, a coupon ticket, a cash in an entry / exit management system, an automatic ticket gate system, electronic money, etc. The present invention relates to a non-contact IC card reader device that performs non-contact communication with a non-contact IC card such as a card.

  Conventionally, in a non-contact IC card reader device that is embedded in a wall surface, a loop antenna that communicates with an IC card, modulation / demodulation of transmission / reception data, a control unit that controls the card reader, and a housing that stores these There is something to have. And in order to embed a housing | casing in a wall surface, the attachment frame, the decorative panel which protects a front surface, and the base which attaches a decorative panel are provided.

  In the non-contact IC card reader as described above, a loop antenna for communicating with the IC card is provided in the housing. In addition, the size of the housing must be made relatively small with respect to the size of the mounting frame, base, and decorative panel. Therefore, the size of the loop antenna stored in the housing has been reduced.

  The size of the loop antenna is an important factor that determines the readable distance of the IC card, and there is a problem in that the readable distance of the IC card is shortened by reducing the size of the loop antenna.

  Further, when the mounting frame is a conductor such as metal, there is a problem in that an eddy current is generated due to an alternating magnetic field generated from the loop antenna, the antenna characteristics are deteriorated, and the reading distance of the IC card is shortened.

  In addition, from the aesthetic point of view, the housing including the loop antenna is disposed behind the mounting frame in order to avoid protrusion from the wall surface, which causes a reduction in the reading distance of the IC card. .

  For example, Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a technique for stably maintaining an antenna mounting method of a non-contact IC card reader device without greatly shifting the positional relationship of the antenna.

  The non-contact IC card reader device of Patent Document 1 transmits an electromagnetic wave from a transmission antenna and receives the electromagnetic wave transmitted from the non-contact IC card with a reception antenna. At least one of these antennas is a coil, and has an insulating substrate for holding the coil, and attachment means for fixing the coil to the substrate. The attachment means is for fixing the coil at a predetermined position of the substrate, and crosses the coil, engages with a through hole provided at the coil arrangement position of the substrate, and fixes the coil at the predetermined position.

Also, a non-contact IC card reader device in which a metal body in the vicinity of the surface on the operation surface side of the antenna does not affect the communicable distance of the antenna with respect to the antenna of the wall-contact type non-contact IC card reader device is known. (For example, Patent Document 2). Patent Document 2 discloses a technique in which a decorative member is cut so as not to affect the reading distance by a metallic decorative member near the surface on the operation surface side of the antenna.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-126036 JP-A-4-86974

  According to the non-contact IC card reader device of Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that the antenna can be efficiently fixed. However, in Patent Document 1, in a non-contact IC card reader embedded in a wall surface, the communication distance from the wall surface to the IC card can be extended as much as possible by putting out the antenna as far as possible. There is no mention of increasing the antenna size to save money.

  Patent Document 2 relates to a non-contact IC card reader that does not affect the distance (communication distance) at which an IC card can be read by a metallic decorative member near the surface on the operation surface side of the antenna. A technique in which a member is cut is disclosed. However, there is no description about extending the communicable distance from the wall surface to the IC card as much as possible, or increasing the antenna to increase the communication sensitivity and communicable distance.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and is a non-contact type that can prevent the deterioration of antenna characteristics by increasing the size of the antenna so as to extend the communicable distance to the IC card as much as possible. An object is to provide an IC card reader device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following configuration.

That is, the non-contact IC card reader according to a first aspect of the present invention, a housing for storing a radio circuit unit which performs modulation and demodulation of the main control unit and the transmission and reception data for controlling the entire operation of the card reader, non-contact IC A loop antenna that generates an alternating magnetic field for communication with a card or an active tag , a mounting frame in which a locking piece for holding the housing is formed in an opening provided in the center of the frame, and this mounting A synthetic resin base that attaches a decorative panel to a front surface that is a surface opposite to a surface that is fitted to the frame and integrates the mounting frame and the decorative panel; and the base, the mounting frame, and the housing overlying the body and a decorative panel attached to said base, a non-contact IC card reader apparatus for communicating in a non-contact IC card or active tags and non-contact, a mounting destination wall In confronting view towards, wherein the loop antenna is provided is wound the housing larger wound than body to the base.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the non-contact IC card reader device according to the first aspect of the present invention, a linear conductor is wound on a side surface of the base around which the loop antenna is wound. A winding groove is formed, and the linear conductor is wound around the winding groove to form a loop antenna.

  According to the non-contact IC card reader device according to claim 1 of the present invention, the linear conductor has a front dimension larger than that of the casing, and is integrated with a base disposed in front of the casing and the mounting frame. Since the loop antenna is configured by winding the loop antenna, the size of the loop antenna can be made larger than in the case where the loop antenna is configured in the housing as in the conventional case, and the number of times of winding the antenna (number of turns) is secured. It's easy to do. In this regard, if the loop antenna is spirally formed in a single plane, the front or the back, as viewed from the front of the base, the diameter of the loop antenna is smaller than when forming a loop antenna using a pattern printing technique or vapor deposition technique. , Because it can be designed to be close to the outer dimension, which is the outermost line in the plan view of the base, that is, under the conditions of forming the loop antenna as a base, the loop antenna can have the largest radial dimension, so the strongest magnetic flux Radiation becomes possible, and the communicable distance from the wall surface to the IC card can be increased. For this reason, good antenna characteristics can be obtained, for example, the communicable distance from the wall surface to the IC card can be extended as compared with the conventional case, and the communication performance can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the base provided with the loop antenna can be attached and detached while the housing and the mounting frame are attached to the wall, the replacement work at the time of failure of the loop antenna 2 is facilitated and the maintainability is improved.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the non-contact IC card reader device according to the first aspect, the winding groove is formed on the side surface of the surface to which the decorative panel of the base is attached. A loop antenna can be configured by simply winding the wire on the base. For this reason, a non-contact IC card reader can be easily manufactured, and the cost can be reduced.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a non-contact IC card reader device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a state in which the device is attached to a wall surface, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a housing constituting the apparatus.

  As shown in the figure, the non-contact IC card reader device 1 of the present embodiment includes a loop antenna 2, a main body control unit 3, a radio circuit unit 4, and a housing 5 that stores the main body control unit 3 and the radio circuit unit 4. Have Furthermore, a mounting frame 6 for mounting the housing 5 to the wall 9, a decorative panel 7 covering the front surface of the mounting frame 6, and a base 8 for fixing the decorative panel 7 to the mounting frame 6 are provided.

  The loop antenna 2 is for generating an AC magnetic field for feeding and / or communicating with an IC card (not shown). As will be described in detail later, the loop antenna 2 is provided on the base 8 in this embodiment. Yes.

  The main body control unit 3 controls the operation of the entire card reader, and the radio circuit unit 4 performs modulation / demodulation of data transmitted / received by the loop antenna 2, which are provided on a circuit board. And stored in the housing 5.

  The housing 5 has a box shape, houses the main body control unit 3 and the radio circuit unit 4 therein, and is fixed to the mounting frame 6, most of which is inside the opening 9 a formed in the wall 9. It is installed inside.

  The mounting frame 6 is made of synthetic resin, and an opening 6a for fitting the housing 5 is provided at the center thereof. The opening 6a is used to hold the housing 5 in the opening 6a. A locking piece 6b is formed to be biased toward the center side. A pair of upper and lower sides facing each other across the opening 6 a of the mounting frame 6 are formed with screw insertion holes 6 c for mounting to the wall 9 with screws 10.

  The base 8 is made of synthetic resin, and an opening 8a for fitting to the outer peripheral edge of the mounting frame 6 is provided at the center thereof, and an engagement structure for mounting the decorative panel 7 is provided on the front surface. 12 is provided. Further, a flange portion 8b is formed on each of the front and rear end portions of the base 8 and on the outer surface in the plate thickness direction (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and is wound between the front and rear flange portions 8b. A groove 8c is formed. The loop antenna 2 is formed by winding the linear conductor around the winding groove 8c a plurality of times to insulate adjacent portions. The end portions of the loop antenna 2 are connected to the lead wires 11 and led out to the back surface side.

  In this way, the loop antenna 2 can be easily configured by winding the linear conductor around the winding groove 8c formed on the outer surface of the surface to which the decorative panel 7 of the base 8 is attached. The reader device 1 can be easily manufactured. As a method of winding the linear conductors in this case, the loop antenna 2 is configured such that the aligned windings are performed while sequentially shifting the positions of the linear conductors so that the linear conductors are not overlapped with each other. This is preferable for obtaining the antenna characteristics of the required performance.

  Further, the decorative panel 7 is made of a synthetic resin and is covered with the engaging structure 12 so as to completely cover the front surface of the base 8, whereby the screws 10 and the like are exposed to the outside of the wall 9. Is preventing it from getting worse.

  In order to assemble the non-contact IC card reader device 1 of this embodiment, the housing 5 is fitted into the opening of the mounting frame 6. Then, the mounting frame 6 is fixed to the wall 9 by screwing the screw 10 into the wall 9 through the screw insertion hole 6 c. Next, the end of the loop antenna 2 is electrically connected to the radio circuit unit 4 in the housing 5 via the lead wire 11, the base 8 is fixed to the mounting frame 6, and the makeup is attached to the front surface of the base 8. The panel 7 is fixed by the engagement structure 12.

  When the IC card is used, an alternating current magnetic field is generated by passing a current from the main body control unit 3 in the housing 5 to the loop antenna 2. In this state, when an IC card (not shown) is held over the front surface of the decorative panel 7 of the non-contact IC card reader device 1, an electric current flows from the IC card antenna to be charged by an alternating magnetic field generated from the IC card reader device. Then, since the control circuit of the IC card is driven and an information signal such as a recorded ID number is emitted, this signal is received by the loop antenna 2, the information signal is analyzed by the radio circuit unit 4, and the main body control unit 3 is processed.

  In this case, the base 8 provided with the loop antenna 2 is larger in size than the housing 5, and the loop antenna 2 has a winding groove 8 c on the outer periphery of the base 8 disposed in front of the housing 5 and the mounting frame 6. Since the loop antenna 2 can be made large in size, it is possible to secure a large number of antenna windings (number of turns). For this reason, the communicable distance from the wall 9 to the IC card can be extended as compared with the conventional case, and good antenna characteristics can be obtained, so that the communication performance can be improved.

  Furthermore, the base 8 can be attached and detached while the housing 5 and the attachment frame 6 are attached to the wall 9. Therefore, even when the loop antenna 2 is out of order or when the loop antenna 2 having different characteristics is used, the replacement work is facilitated and the maintainability is improved.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the configuration can be arbitrarily changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in this example, the loop antenna 2 is formed by winding a linear conductor in the winding groove 8 c of the base 8. However, even if the winding groove 8 c is not formed, it is affixed to the outer peripheral portion of the base 8. Or may be sandwiched and bonded, or may be integrally formed. In this example, the connection between the loop antenna 2 and the wireless circuit unit 4 is described using the lead wire 11. However, another connection method may be used. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although each fixation of the housing | casing 5, the attachment frame 6, and the base 8 is implement | achieved by fitting, it is not limited to this, Other means, such as a screw stop and an adhesive tape, are also used. It doesn't matter. The decorative panel 7 is also attached to the base 8 with the engagement structure 12 in this example, but other means such as a screw stopper or an adhesive tape may be used.

Further, in the above embodiment, as an IC card, a back electromotive force generated in an internal circuit by causing magnetic flux to reciprocate at a high speed from the loop antenna 2 of the non-contact IC card reader device 1 is used as an internal power source. It has been described, is not limited to this and may be one obtained by incorporating a power to the IC card itself. That is, only the magnetic magnetic flux as a radio signal may be sent from the loop antenna 2 of the non-contact IC card reader device 1 to the IC card.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the non-contact IC card reader apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is side surface sectional drawing which shows the state which attached the apparatus to the wall. It is a side view of the base which comprises the apparatus. It is sectional drawing of the housing | casing which comprises the apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Non-contact IC card reader apparatus 2 Loop antenna 3 Main body control part 4 Wireless circuit part 5 Case 6 Mounting frame 7 Cosmetic panel 8 Base 8c Winding groove 9 Wall

Claims (2)

A housing for storing a radio circuit unit which performs modulation and demodulation of the main control unit and the transmission and reception data for controlling the entire operation of the card reader, loop antenna for generating an AC magnetic field for communication with a contactless IC card or active tag And an attachment frame in which an engaging piece for holding the housing is formed in an opening provided in a central portion of the frame body, and a decorative panel on a front surface that is a surface opposite to a surface to be fitted to the attachment frame a is a base of synthetic resin to integrate the said decorative panel and the attachment frame mounted, and a decorative panel that is attached to the base covering and the base and the mounting frame and the housing, the non the contactless IC card reader apparatus for communicating with the contact IC card or active tags and non-contact, in confronting view towards the wall is a mounting destination, the loop antenna from the housing to the base Noncontact IC card reader, characterized in that provided is wound larger wound. A winding groove around which a linear conductor is wound is formed on a side surface of the base around which the loop antenna is wound, and the loop conductor is configured by winding the linear conductor in the winding groove. 2. The non-contact IC card reader device according to claim 1, wherein:

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