JP7852389B2 - IC modules and IC cards - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to an IC module and an IC card.

As an IC card incorporating semiconductor memory and the like, a so-called hybrid IC card (dual IC card) that functions as both a contact-type and contactless card is known. Hybrid IC cards are used, for example, in credit cards, cash cards, prepaid cards, membership cards, gift cards, transportation cards, passports, and driver's licenses. A hybrid IC card is constructed by sandwiching an IC module, which has a coil formed on it and is equipped with contact terminals for contacting external contact devices and an IC chip that functions as both a contact-type and contactless card, and an antenna sheet, which has a coupling coil for contactless electrical coupling to the coil formed on the IC module and an antenna pattern (antenna coil) for contactless communication with an external terminal, between outer substrates (for example, Patent Document 1).

The contact terminal described in Patent Document 1 has a conductive path to the back surface of the IC module through a through-hole, which is a metal-plated through-hole. A portion of the metal plating of the through-hole formed on the back surface of the IC module is electrically connected to electrodes on the IC chip by wire bonding or the like, and the area around the IC chip, including the wire bonding, is protected by a sealing resin.

Furthermore, in recent years, a method for reducing the cost of IC modules has been introduced that involves IC module substrates without through-holes, featuring only through-holes without metal plating. Since forming through-holes requires a dedicated electrolytic plating process, eliminating this process reduces substrate costs and IC module manufacturing time.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-041272

However, the through-hole described in Patent Document 1 had the potential to increase the risk of delamination and disconnection of the coils formed in the IC module due to stress changes in the IC module substrate during the formation of the through-hole. Furthermore, if there was a misalignment in the process position of the through-hole or through-hole, the coils formed in the IC module would disconnect. Therefore, to avoid this risk, it was necessary to form the through-hole or through-hole at a certain distance or more from the metal pattern containing the coils.

This invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide IC modules and IC cards that offer a high degree of freedom in antenna design, eliminate antenna disconnection during the manufacturing process, and achieve high productivity.

To solve the above problems, this invention proposes the following means.
An IC module according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a substrate formed in a sheet shape and having through holes penetrating in the thickness direction of the substrate; a connecting coil provided on the back surface of the substrate and formed in a spiral shape; an IC chip provided on the back surface of the substrate and positioned on the inner circumference side of the connecting coil; contact terminals provided on the surface of the substrate; and a wire that electrically connects the IC chip and the contact terminals and passes through the through holes, wherein the connecting coil has a conductive auxiliary pattern portion that protrudes toward the inner circumference side and contacts the through holes in at least a portion thereof.

The IC module and IC card according to the present invention offer a high degree of freedom in antenna design, eliminate antenna disconnection during the manufacturing process, and provide highly productive IC modules and IC cards.

This is a schematic plan view showing an IC card according to the first embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic plan view of the IC card inlet. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the IC card as viewed from the short side. This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the IC module of the IC card. This is a schematic plan view showing the IC module of the IC card. Figure 5 is a magnified view of the through-hole in the IC module of the same IC card. This is an enlarged view of the through-hole of the IC module of an IC card according to a second embodiment of the present invention. This is an enlarged view of the through-hole of the IC module of an IC card according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

(First Embodiment)
One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In the embodiments and modifications described below, corresponding components will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and descriptions of overlapping parts may be omitted. Furthermore, in the following description, expressions indicating relative or absolute arrangements such as "parallel,""orthogonal,""center," and "coaxial" will not only strictly represent such arrangements, but will also represent states of relative displacement with tolerances or angles and distances that allow the same function to be obtained.

Figure 1 is a schematic plan view of an IC card 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic plan view of the inlet 10 of the IC card 1 in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the IC card 1 in Figure 1 as viewed from the short side direction D2.

In the following description of IC card 1, the direction along the longer side of IC card 1 is defined as the longer side direction D1, and the direction along the shorter side of IC card 1 perpendicular to the longer side direction D1 on the horizontal plane is defined as the shorter side direction D2. The planes along the longer side direction D1 and the shorter side direction D2 are defined as horizontal planes (hereinafter simply referred to as horizontal planes). Furthermore, the vertical direction perpendicular to the longer side direction D1 and the shorter side direction D2 is defined as the plate thickness direction Dt.

In the long side direction D1, one side away from the central axis (not shown) along the thickness direction Dt of the IC card 1 is designated as the left side LH, and the other side as the right side RH. In the short side direction D2, one side is designated as the front FR, and the other side as the rear RR. Furthermore, in the thickness direction Dt of the IC card 1, the upper side is designated as the upper side UP, and the lower side is designated as the lower side DW. The surface on the upper side UP in the thickness direction Dt is considered the front surface, and the surface on the lower side DW is considered the back surface.

As shown in Figure 1, IC card 1 is a dual IC card that enables both contact-type and contactless communication with external devices. IC card 1 is plate-shaped and, when viewed from the upper side (UP) in the thickness direction Dt, has a rectangular shape with opposing long and short sides. The thickness of IC card 1 in the thickness direction Dt is, for example, approximately 0.5 to 1.0 mm (if IC card 1 is a credit card, the thickness of IC card 1 is 0.76 mm).

The IC card 1 comprises an inlet 10, an IC module 20, and an outer substrate 40.

[Inlet 10]
In this embodiment, the inlet 10 is enclosed within the outer substrate 40, as shown in Figure 3. The inlet 10 comprises an antenna sheet body 11, an antenna 12, and a capacitor 13, as shown in Figure 2.

The antenna sheet body 11 is a flexible, insulating substrate provided within the outer substrate 40. The antenna sheet body 11 can be made from materials such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), PET-G (terephthalic acid-cyclohexanedimethanol-ethylene glycol copolymer), polyvinyl chloride, vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer, polycarbonate, polyamide, polyimide, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, polystyrene-based materials, ABS, polyacrylic acid ester, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyimide, glass epoxy, and phenolic resin, as appropriate.

As shown in Figure 3, the antenna sheet body 11 forms an opening 11h when a recess 50 is formed in the outer substrate 40 (described later) by milling or the like, and the processed area reaches the antenna sheet body 11. In this case, the opening 11h is formed in communication with the recess 50. In addition to the recess 50 provided in the outer substrate 40 (described later), the opening 11h is also provided in the inlet 10 to prevent unevenness on the surface 1f of the IC card 1 when the IC module 20 is joined via the outer substrate 40, due to the resin sealing portion 30 provided on the back surface 20g of the IC module 20. Note that if the recess 50 is formed in the outer substrate 40 by milling or the like, and the processed area does not reach the antenna sheet body 11, the opening 11h is not formed. Therefore, the antenna sheet body 11 does not necessarily have to have an opening 11h.

The antenna 12 comprises a coupling coil 121 and a main coil 122. The width (thickness), spacing, and number of turns of the antenna 12 can be appropriately set according to the characteristics of the antenna 12 and any limitations imposed by its placement.

As shown in Figure 2, the coupling coil (antenna) 121 is spirally arranged on the surface 11f of the antenna sheet body 11, forming a circle, and is electrically connected to the main coil 122 or capacitor 13 by wiring (not shown). As shown in Figure 3, the coupling coil 121 is positioned to be electromagnetically coupled to the connection coil 23 of the IC module 20 when the IC module 20 is joined from the surface 10f side of the inlet 10 via the outer substrate 40. The inner diameter of the coupling coil 121 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to form it considering the size of the resin encapsulation portion 30 of the IC module 20.

The main coil 122 is electrically connected to the coupling coil 121 or capacitor 13 by wiring (not shown) to perform contactless communication with a non-contact external device such as a reader/writer. The main coil 122 is formed in a rectangular shape along the periphery 11k of the antenna sheet body 11. As shown in Figure 2, the main coil 122 is formed with one or two turns along the periphery 11k of the antenna sheet body 11. However, the main coil 122 only needs to enable contactless communication with a non-contact external device; the number of turns, shape, and wire width are not limited.

The wire width of the main coil 122 is wider than that of the coupling coil 121. The wire widths of the coupling coil 121 and the main coil 122 can be set as appropriate, and it is preferable to set them so that their imaginary impedances are equivalent at the set communication frequency. However, the wire width of the main coil 122 may be approximately the same as that of the coupling coil 121, or it may be narrower than that of the coupling coil 121.

There are no particular restrictions on the manufacturing method of the coupling coil 121 and main coil 122 of the antenna 12; they can be formed by various methods. Examples of manufacturing methods include laser cutting or punching of metal plates or metal foils, etching of metal foils or metal layers, and arrangement of metal wires. Punching is particularly suitable when forming a wide main coil 122. Forming the coupling coil 121 using insulated metal wires eliminates the need to place separate insulators at the three-dimensional intersection points, allowing for simpler formation. When the coupling coil 121 and the main coil 122 are formed from different materials, soldering, welding, or pressure bonding can be used as methods for connecting them.

Capacitor 13 is connected in series or parallel to the main coil 122 and is, for example, a chip capacitor (including a flat plate capacitor). Capacitor 13 forms a resonant circuit with the main coil 122 and adjusts the resonant frequency.

[IC Module 20]
Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the IC module 20 of the IC card 1. Figure 5 is a schematic plan view showing the IC module 20 of the IC card 1.
As shown in Figure 4, the IC module 20 comprises a module substrate (substrate) 21, an IC chip 22, a connecting coil 23, contact terminals 24, wires 25, and a resin encapsulation portion 30. The external dimensions of the IC module 20 are approximately 8 mm × 10.6 mm in the horizontal plane, for example, if the contact terminals 24 consist of 6 terminals. In this embodiment, the IC module 20 is positioned to the left LH in the long side direction D1 and forward FR in the short side direction D2 from the central axis (not shown) of the IC card 1.

The module substrate (substrate) 21 is a sheet-like substrate formed on a horizontal surface using a material such as glass epoxy or PET. The module substrate 21 has a front surface 21f and a back surface 21g in the thickness direction Dt, and is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the thickness direction Dt. The thickness of the module substrate 21 is, for example, 50 to 200 μm. The module substrate 21 is provided with through holes 26.

The through-hole 26 is a hole that penetrates the module substrate 21 in the thickness direction Dt. The through-hole 26 is provided around the IC chip 22. The through-hole 26 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, for example, such that its cross-section is substantially circular when viewed from the thickness direction Dt. As shown in Figure 4, the wire 25 (described later) is inserted through the through-hole 26. The number of through-holes 26 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is formed to match the number of electrodes 220 of the IC chip 22 that are connected to the contact terminals 24 via the wire 25. The arrangement, shape, and size of the through-holes 26 are not particularly limited. As shown in Figure 5, the through-hole 26 includes a through-hole 26p that penetrates near the connecting coil 23 and a through-hole 26q that is positioned further inward (towards the inner circumference 23i) than the connecting coil 23.

The IC chip 22 is mounted on the back surface 21g of the module substrate 21. The IC chip 22 can be a known configuration having contact-type and contactless communication functions. As shown in Figure 4 or 5, the IC chip 22 has multiple electrodes 220 on its surface. The IC chip 22 is formed in a rectangular shape when viewed from the thickness direction Dt. Furthermore, the IC chip 22 is positioned on the inner circumference side 23i of the connecting coil 23.

The connecting coil 23 is provided on the back surface 21g of the module substrate 21. The connecting coil 23 is formed by winding a spiral around 10 times, with the IC chip 22, through-hole 26, and wire 25 positioned on the inner circumference 23i.

The connecting coil 23 is formed, for example, by etching a pattern onto copper foil or aluminum foil, and its thickness is 5 to 50 μm. The connecting coil 23 electromagnetically couples with the coupling coil 121 provided in the inlet 10. At the outermost and innermost ends of the connecting coil 23, there are outermost terminal portions 231 and innermost terminal portions 232, which are wider than the wire width (thickness) of the connecting coil 23. The outermost terminal portions 231 and innermost terminal portions 232 are provided with through-holes (not shown) and are electrically connected to some of the multiple electrodes 220 on the IC chip 22 by wire bonding or the like. Furthermore, the innermost conductor 23a of the connecting coil 23 is provided with a wire breakage prevention pattern portion (auxiliary pattern portion) 27 on the inner circumference side 23i.

Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the through-hole 26 of the IC module 20 of the IC card 1 shown in Figure 5.
As shown in Figure 6, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion (auxiliary pattern portion) 27 is provided on the inner circumference side 23i of the connecting coil 23 and is a portion that protrudes from the innermost conductor wire 23a toward the inner circumference side 23i. The wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is provided, for example, in accordance with the through hole 26p that penetrates near the connecting coil 23 among the plurality of through holes 26. As shown in Figure 5, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 does not have to be provided in the through hole 26q that is located further away from the inner circumference side 23i than the connecting coil 23.

In the following description of the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27, for the sake of clarity, only one of the multiple wire breakage prevention pattern sections 27, located behind RR and to the right RH of the IC chip 22 shown in Figure 6, will be described. The other wire breakage prevention pattern sections 27 will be assumed to have a similar configuration and will not be described. The arrangement and direction are not particularly limited and can be arbitrarily set according to the location where the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27 is formed. Also, the wire 25 is not shown in Figure 6.

The wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is provided on a portion of the innermost conductor 23a of the connecting coil 23. The wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is connected to the innermost conductor 23a of the connecting coil 23 via its rear RR in the short-side direction D2, and is provided projecting outwards from the inner circumference side 23i so as to contact the through hole 26p. Specifically, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 contacts at least a portion of the edge 260 of the through hole 26p. In this embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 contacts the rear RR of the edge 260 of the through hole 26p. That is, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is formed on the surface between the through hole 26p and the connecting coil 23.

The wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is formed, for example, along the shape of the through hole 26p. In this embodiment, the through hole 26p is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the edge portion 260 is circular, the same as the cross-sectional shape. Therefore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is formed along the edge portion 260 of the through hole 26p. Specifically, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is formed in a substantially fan shape with an arc along a part of the circular edge portion 260 of the through hole 26p, and is the remaining portion after the part overlapping with the through hole 26p is cut off when viewed from the plate thickness direction Dt. In this case, the center of the fan shape is positioned at approximately the same location as the center O of the through hole 26p. The outer diameter of the fan-shaped wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is larger than the outer diameter of the through hole 26p and is connected to at least the innermost conductor 23a of the connecting coil 23.

Here, the line extending perpendicularly from the center O of the through-hole 26p towards the innermost conductor 23a of the connecting coil 23 is defined as the vertical line L1. The line connecting the center O of the through-hole 26p to the first point P1 to the right RH of the longer side direction D1 from the vertical line L1 is defined as the first line L2. The line connecting the center O of the through-hole 26p to the second point P2 to the left LH of the longer side direction D1 from the vertical line L1 is defined as the second line L3. As shown in Figure 6, the first point P1 and the second point P2 are set such that the angle R between the vertical line L1 and the first line L2 and the second line L3, respectively, is 60 degrees or more (totaling 120 degrees or more). In this embodiment, the two sides extending from the center of the fan shape of the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27 toward both ends of the arc are aligned with the first line L2 and the second line L3, respectively. The shape of the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 is not particularly limited; it may be formed to contact the entire edge 260 of the through hole 26p, or it may be formed to contact only a portion of the edge 260 of the through hole 26p.

The wire breakage prevention pattern section 27 is conductive and, like the connecting coil 23, is formed by etching copper foil or aluminum foil to create a pattern. In this embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27 is manufactured at the same time as the connecting coil 23 during the manufacturing process.

The contact terminal 24 is configured to be able to contact an external contact-type device (not shown). As shown in Figure 3, the contact terminal 24 is formed on the surface 21f of the module substrate 21. The contact terminal 24 has electrodes (not shown) on its back surface. The contact terminal 24 is electrically connected to the IC chip 22 via a wire 25.

As shown in Figure 3, wire 25 connects the electrodes 220 of the IC chip 22 on the back surface 21g of the module substrate 21 to the contact terminals 24 on the front surface 21f by wire bonding or the like. As shown in Figure 4, wire 25 is inserted through the through hole 26. The IC chip 22 and the contact terminals 24 are electrically connected via wire 25. Gold wire is preferred for wire 25. However, wire 25 may be made of silver, platinum, aluminum, copper, alloy, or coated wire of a different metal.

The resin encapsulation portion 30 is a protruding portion that covers the IC chip 22 and the wire 25. As shown in Figure 3, the resin encapsulation portion 30 is provided on the back surface 21g of the module substrate 21. The resin encapsulation portion 30 can be formed from, for example, a known epoxy resin, UV-curable resin, or thermosetting resin. The resin encapsulation portion 30 can protect the IC chip 22 from external forces and environmental loads, and prevent breakage of the wire 25, etc. Generally, the resin encapsulation portion 30 is positioned with its center aligned with the IC chip 22.

[Exterior base material 40]
As shown in Figure 3, the outer substrate 40 is a substrate that is placed on the front and back surfaces of the IC card 1 and encloses the inlet 10. The outer substrate 40 is formed using a substrate that has insulating properties and provides the necessary characteristics for a card, such as sufficient strength and embossability, such as polyester materials such as amorphous polyester, vinyl chloride materials such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), polycarbonate materials, and PET-G (polyethylene terephthalate copolymer). The outer substrate 40 may also be formed using a metal sheet or a magnetic material. The outer substrate 40 may also be molded into a card shape using a plastic material that has high fluidity and insulating properties, such as a UV-curing type or a mixed-liquid reaction-curing type. The shape of the outer substrate 40 can be appropriately adopted in accordance with card standards. In this embodiment, the outer substrate 40 is configured as a laminate of two or more layers having an intermediate resin layer and an outer resin layer which is a printing layer on the front and back surface side of the IC card 1, relative to the intermediate resin layer. The outer substrate 40 may also be a single layer. Furthermore, the exterior substrate 40 may be further provided with a magnetic layer, a protective layer, etc., or may be coated with a functional surface coating such as thermal, thermal transfer, or inkjet.

The outer substrate 40 has a recess 50 on the surface 1f of the IC card 1. The recess 50 is formed by milling the outer substrate 40, as shown in Figure 3. The recess 50 can accommodate the IC chip 22 and the resin sealing portion 30 protecting the IC chip 22, which are provided on the back surface 21g of the module substrate 21. For example, the recess 50 is formed in a two-tiered stepped shape, with the upper tier on the surface 1f side being wider than the lower tier on the back surface 1g side. However, the recess 50 does not have to be formed in a stepped shape, and it may be formed in two or more tiers. Furthermore, the recess 50 may be formed in a tapered shape.

The IC card 1 is formed by sandwiching the outer substrate 40, the inlet 10 enclosed within the outer substrate 40, and the IC module 20 together by heat-pressure lamination or adhesive, and then punching out the card shape. The IC card 1 may also be subjected to embossing or other processing after molding.

(effect)
Next, the operation of IC card 1 will be explained using the manufacturing process of IC module 20.

The IC card 1 includes an IC module 20. The manufacturing process for the IC module 20 begins by forming a connection coil 23, equipped with a wire breakage prevention pattern 27, on the module substrate 21 by etching a pattern onto, for example, copper foil or aluminum foil. Subsequently, through-holes 26 are formed in the module substrate 21, and the IC chip 22, contact terminals 24, wires 25, and resin encapsulation portion 30 are mounted to complete the IC module 20.

The through-hole 26 is positioned near the connecting coil 23 in the design. During the formation of the through-hole 26, it imparts stress changes such as bending stress and tensile/compressive stress to the module substrate 21. The module substrate 21 is particularly affected by the communication function of the connecting coil 23, which is close to the through-hole 26, due to the through-hole 26. However, by forming the wire breakage prevention pattern 27 between the through-hole 26p and the connecting coil 23, and by providing it to protrude from the inner circumference side 23i so as to be in contact with the through-hole 26p, the wire breakage prevention pattern 27 acts as a stress buffer, reducing stress changes.

The manufacturing process for the IC module 20 described above is merely an example for explaining the operation of the IC card 1 and is not limited thereto. For example, after the through-hole 26 is formed, a connecting coil 23 with a wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 may be formed by etching a copper foil or aluminum foil pattern. The order of the manufacturing steps for the IC module 20 may also be different.

In this embodiment, the above-described configuration allows the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 of the connecting coil 23 to reduce stress changes on the module substrate 21 due to the through-hole 26. Therefore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 of the connecting coil 23 can reduce the risk of coil delamination or breakage due to stress changes.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern 27 of the connecting coil 23 reduces stress changes on the module substrate 21, thereby reducing the risk of coil delamination and wire breakage without significantly affecting the communication function of the connecting coil 23.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the two sides extending from the fan-shaped center of the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 toward both ends of the arc are aligned with the first line L2 and the second line L3, respectively. Therefore, while reliably reducing stress changes on the module substrate 21 due to the through-hole 26, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27 of the connecting coil 23 can be minimized by providing it only on a portion of the edge 260 of the through-hole 26p, rather than the entire edge, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and difficulty.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, by providing a wire breakage prevention pattern 27 on the connecting coil 23, the positional accuracy of the through-hole process can be tolerated to a certain extent. Therefore, the difficulty of manufacturing the IC module 20 can be reduced. Also, in this embodiment, it is possible to manufacture an IC module 20 with a high degree of freedom in antenna design, and a highly productive IC module 20 can be provided.

The first embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the components shown in the above-described embodiment and the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 7. In the following description, components that are common to those already described will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. Note that in all of the following embodiments, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion of the connection coil of the IC module differs from that of the first embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the first embodiment. The connection coil 23A provided in the IC module 20 of the IC card 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is provided with a wire breakage prevention pattern portion (auxiliary pattern portion) 27A on its inner circumference side 23i. Note that the connection coil 23A has the same configuration as the first embodiment, except that the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A differs from that of the first embodiment.

Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the through-hole 26 of the IC module 20 of the IC card 1 according to the second embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A is provided on the inner circumference side 23i of the connecting coil 23A, and is the portion that protrudes from the innermost conductor 23Aa to the inner circumference side 23i. In the following description of the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A, similar to the first embodiment, only one of the multiple wire breakage prevention pattern portions 27A, located rearward RR and to the right RH of the IC chip 22 shown in Figure 7, will be described.

The wire breakage prevention pattern sections 27A are provided in pairs on either side of the through-hole 26p, symmetrically arranged in the long-side direction D1 with respect to the through-hole 26p. The two wire breakage prevention pattern sections 27A have their rear RR in the short-side direction D2 connected to the innermost conductor 23Aa of the connecting coil 23A, and their front FR protrudes from the inner circumference side 23i so as to be in contact with the through-hole 26p.

The wire breakage prevention pattern section 27A is the remaining portion after being cut off by the through hole 26. For example, when two wire breakage prevention pattern sections 27A on both sides in the long side direction D1 are connected at a point forward FR from the position where they are connected to the innermost conductor 23Aa of the connecting coil 23A, they form a ring-shaped (donut-shaped) structure. In this case, the inner curve K1 of the ring-shaped structure is set to be smaller than, for example, the diameter of the edge 260 of the through hole 26. The outer curve K2 of the ring-shaped structure is set to be larger than the diameter of the edge 260 of the through hole 26. Furthermore, the center of the ring-shaped structure is positioned RR further back than the center O of the through hole.

In the above embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A is provided protruding from the inner circumference side 23i so as to be in contact with the through hole 26p. Therefore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A of the connecting coil 23A can reduce stress changes on the module substrate 21 caused by the through hole 26. Furthermore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A of the connecting coil 23A can reduce the risk of coil delamination or breakage due to stress changes.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern 27A of the connecting coil 23A reduces stress changes on the module substrate 21, thereby reducing the risk of coil delamination and wire breakage without significantly affecting the communication function of the connecting coil 23A.

Furthermore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A may be formed during the manufacturing process in a ring-shaped (donut-shaped) form, and then simultaneously cut off during the formation of the through hole 26. Alternatively, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A may be formed after the through hole 26 is formed, so as to be in contact with both sides of the through hole in the long-side direction D1. The wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27A is not particularly limited in the manufacturing process.

The second embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the components shown in the above-described embodiment and the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figure 8. In the following description, components that are common to those already described will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions will be omitted. Note that in all of the following embodiments, the through-holes provided in the module substrate of the IC module and the wire breakage prevention pattern portion of the connecting coil differ from those of the second embodiment. Therefore, the following description will focus on the differences from the second embodiment. The module substrate (substrate) 21B provided in the IC module 20 of the IC card 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is provided with through-holes 26B. The connecting coil 23B is provided with a wire breakage prevention pattern portion (auxiliary pattern portion) 27B. Note that the module substrate 21B has the same configuration as the second embodiment, except that the through-holes 26B differ from those of the second embodiment. The connecting coil 23B has the same configuration as the second embodiment, except that the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27B differs from those of the second embodiment.

Figure 8 is an enlarged view of the through-hole 26B of the IC module 20 of the IC card 1 according to the third embodiment. Here, the through-hole 26B shown in Figure 8 represents only one of the multiple through-holes 26B, located behind the IC chip 22 (RR) and to the right (RH). The other through-holes 26B are assumed to have the same configuration as the through-hole 26B shown in Figure 8, and their description is omitted. Note that the arrangement and direction are not particularly limited and can be arbitrarily set according to the location where the through-holes 26B are formed.

The through-hole 26B in the module substrate 21B is positioned, as shown in Figure 8, further on the outer circumference 23j opposite the inner circumference 23i, which is closer to the connecting coil 23B, compared to the first and second embodiments. The through-hole 26B is positioned to overlap with the innermost conductor wire 23Ba of the connecting coil 23B, and cuts the innermost conductor wire 23Ba along the long side direction D1.

Compared to the second embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27B is formed in a ring-like shape and is not cut off by the through hole 26. In this case, the center of the ring-like shape and the center OB of the through hole 26B are, for example, positioned approximately the same. Because the outer curve K2 of the ring-like shape of the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27B is set to be larger than the diameter of the edge 260 of the through hole 26, the front FR is not cut off by the through hole 26, and the ring-like shape is maintained. Furthermore, the wire breakage prevention pattern section 27B is conductive, similar to the above embodiment, and is formed by etching copper foil or aluminum foil into a pattern, similar to the connecting coil 23B.

In the above-described embodiment, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27B is provided protruding from the inner circumference side 23i so as to be in contact with the through hole 26B. Therefore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27B of the connecting coil 23B can reduce stress changes on the module substrate 21B caused by the through hole 26B. Furthermore, the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27B of the connecting coil 23B can reduce the risk of coil delamination or breakage due to stress changes.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the through-hole 26B cuts the innermost conductor 23Ba along the long side direction D1. However, since the wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27B is set to be larger than the circular diameter of the edge portion 260 of the through-hole 26, the front FR is not cut off by the through-hole 26, and the annular shape is maintained. Therefore, even when the conductor 23Ba is cut by the through-hole 26, the conductive wire breakage prevention pattern portion 27B acts as a detour when conduction occurs, so the connecting coil 23B can secure a conduction path that allows current to pass through the innermost conductor 23Ba. In addition, the above configuration allows for a certain degree of tolerance in the positional accuracy of the through-hole process. Therefore, the difficulty of manufacturing the IC module 20 can be reduced. Furthermore, in this embodiment, it is possible to manufacture an IC module 20 with a high degree of freedom in antenna design, and a highly productive IC module 20 can be provided.

The third embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design modifications and the like are also included within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Furthermore, the components shown in the above-described embodiment and the following modifications can be combined as appropriate.

(Variant)
For example, in the embodiment described above, an IC module substrate with through-holes that are not metal-plated is used, but the invention is not particularly limited, and an IC module substrate with through-holes may also be used.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the through-holes in the IC module substrate are formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, but the shape of the through-holes is not particularly limited and may be, for example, conical or polygonal prism-shaped.

Furthermore, in the first embodiment described above, the wire breakage prevention pattern 27 is formed between the through hole 26p and the connecting coil 23, but it is not particularly limited. The wire breakage prevention pattern may be formed around the through hole. Even in this case, the wire breakage prevention pattern can reduce stress changes on the module substrate caused by the through hole.

Furthermore, the through-holes in the IC module substrate may be formed within the region of the connecting coil having a wire breakage prevention pattern (auxiliary pattern). Specifically, the edges of the through-holes are formed within the region of the connecting coil, and the through-holes are formed within the outer peripheral edge of the connecting coil. In this case as well, the wire breakage prevention pattern can reduce the stress changes on the module substrate caused by the through-holes.

Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment described an example of a so-called hybrid IC card that functions as both a contact-type and contactless IC card, it is not particularly limited and can also be applied to IC cards that function only as contact-type or only as contactless-type.

Furthermore, although the resin-sealed portion of the present invention is formed in a substantially circular shape, the shape of the resin-sealed portion is not particularly limited and may be, for example, square or polygonal.

Furthermore, the shape and size of the recess in the above-described embodiment are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be appropriately changed according to the shape and size of the module substrate, IC chip, and resin encapsulation portion.

In any of the above embodiments, the IC module and IC card according to the present invention offer a high degree of freedom in antenna design, eliminate antenna disconnection during the manufacturing process, and provide highly productive IC modules and IC cards.

The IC module and IC card according to the present invention offer a high degree of freedom in antenna design, and because there are no antenna disconnections during the manufacturing process, productivity is high, making them suitable for industrial use.

1 IC card 1f Front 1g Back 10 Inlet 10f Front 10g Back 11 Antenna sheet main body 12 Antenna 121 Coupling coil (antenna)
122 Main coil 20 IC module 21, 21B Module board (board)
21f Front surface 21g Back surface 22 IC chip 220 Electrodes 23, 23A, 23B Connecting coils 23a, 23Aa, 23Ba Innermost conductor 23i Inner circumference side 24 Contact terminal 25 Wire 26, 26B Through hole 260 Edge 27, 27A, 27B Breakage prevention pattern section (auxiliary pattern section)
30 Resin sealing part 40 Outer substrate 50 Recess D1 Long side direction D2 Short side direction Dt Plate thickness direction

Claims (10)

A substrate formed in a sheet shape and having through holes that penetrate in the thickness direction,
A connecting coil, formed in a spiral shape, is provided on the back surface of the aforementioned substrate,
An IC chip is provided on the back surface of the substrate and positioned on the inner circumference side of the connecting coil,
Contact terminals provided on the surface of the aforementioned substrate,
A wire electrically connects the IC chip and the contact terminal, and passes through the through hole.
Equipped with,
The IC module has a connecting coil having at least a portion of a conductive auxiliary pattern that protrudes toward the inner circumference and contacts the through hole. The IC module according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary pattern portion is formed along at least a portion of the edge of the through hole. The IC module according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the auxiliary pattern portion is formed between the edge of the through hole and the connecting coil. The IC module according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the auxiliary pattern portion energizes the innermost conductor of the connecting coil when the through hole disconnects the innermost conductor. The IC module according to claim 4, wherein the edge of the through hole is formed within the region of the connecting coil having the auxiliary pattern portion. An outer substrate provided on the front and back surfaces,
The inlet embedded in the outer substrate,
An IC module comprising: a substrate provided on the surface side, formed in a sheet shape and having through holes penetrating in the thickness direction; a connecting coil provided on the back surface of the substrate and formed in a spiral shape; an IC chip provided on the back surface of the substrate and positioned on the inner circumference side of the connecting coil; contact terminals provided on the surface of the substrate; and wires that electrically connect the IC chip and the contact terminals and pass through the through holes;
Equipped with,
The inlet has an antenna on its surface side that can be electromagnetically coupled to the connecting coil,
The IC card wherein the connecting coil has at least a portion of a conductive auxiliary pattern that protrudes toward the inner circumference and contacts the through hole. The IC card according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary pattern portion is formed along at least a portion of the through hole. The IC card according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the auxiliary pattern portion is formed between the through hole and the connecting coil. The IC card according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the auxiliary pattern portion energizes the innermost conductor of the connecting coil when the through hole disconnects the innermost conductor. The IC card according to claim 9, wherein the edge of the through hole is formed within the region of the connecting coil having the auxiliary pattern portion.