JPS631639B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a recording/reading device for personal cards used for transactions or verification, such as authentication cards, entrance inspection cards, or credit cards.

Recently, among the above-mentioned personal cards, a type called a memory card has appeared in which an integrated circuit including a memory and a data processing circuit is embedded in a card base material. In addition to the above-mentioned integrated circuit, this memory card also includes conductors for supplying power and electrical signals to the integrated circuit, or for transmitting electrical signals, and external connection means for connecting these conductors to connection terminals of a recording/reading device during recording/reading. The recording/reading device writes/reads data in the memory within the integrated circuit.

By the way, at present, this memory card generally uses a connection terminal as the above-mentioned external connection means. For this reason, if the environment in which the recording/reading device is installed is high in humidity or if the card is handled with wet hands, the contacts may corrode, causing poor contact and making data writing/reading impossible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to write/read data and supply power in a contactless manner in a personal card recording/reading device in which an integrated circuit is embedded, such as the memory card, in order to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks.

For this reason, the present invention uses a light emitting element and a light receiving element as a means for transmitting and receiving electrical signals to and from an integrated circuit of a personal card, and also uses light and a photovoltaic cell to supply power to the integrated circuit, thereby facilitating data writing/reading and data processing. It is characterized by the fact that all power is supplied using light.

The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a personal card made of an insulating plastic base material, etc., and 2 is a memory, a logic operation circuit, and a signal processing circuit embedded in the base material of the personal card 1. 3 is a light receiving element for receiving a signal from the card recording/reading device 8;
4 is a light emitting element for transmitting a signal to the card recording/reading device 8; 5 is a photovoltaic cell for generating power required for the operation of the integrated circuit 2 and the light emitting element 4; 6a, 6b, and 6c are the integrated circuits. Conductors 7a, 7b, and 7c electrically connect the light receiving element 3, the light emitting element 4, and the photovoltaic cell 5 with the light receiving element 3, the light emitting element 4, and the photovoltaic cell 5. 8 is a card recording/reading device for writing/reading data to/from the personal card 1 having the above structure; 9 is a card insertion slot thereof;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic internal configuration of the card recording/reading device 8, and particularly shows a state in which the personal card 1 is inserted. A cleaning member 10 is held by a plate spring and contacts the card surface with appropriate pressure to clean the card surface, especially the surface of the portion where the light receiving element 3, light emitting element 4, and photovoltaic cell 5 are installed; 11 is a part of a lever; is a micro switch that protrudes onto the card insertion path and is turned on when the lever is operated by card insertion; 12a and 12b are pressure rollers that press the personal card 1 against the base plate 13 of the card insertion path; 14 is a micro switch that presses the personal card 1 inserted Stopper for stopping at a predetermined position, 1
5 is the personal card 1 stopped at the predetermined position.
A light source 16 is provided at an upper position facing the photovoltaic cell 5 of the personal card 1, and a light receiving element 16 is also provided at an upper position facing the light emitting element 4 of the personal card 1. Although not shown in this figure, a light emitting element 17 is provided beside the light receiving element 16 and facing the light receiving element 3 of the personal card 1.
The light emitting element 17, the light receiving element 16, and the light source 15 are optically shielded so that they are not influenced by each other.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the main circuitry of an embodiment of the present invention, showing the circuitry of the personal card 1 and the main circuitry of the card recording/reading device 8 thereof.

Reference numeral 18 denotes an amplification/shaping circuit for amplifying and waveform shaping the signal received by the light receiving element 3, and its output is connected to the integrated circuit 2 via the conductor 6a.
Reference numeral 19 denotes a driver that makes the transistor TR conductive in response to a transmission signal supplied from the integrated circuit 2 via the conductor 6b, and causes current to flow through the light emitting element 4 to cause it to emit light. These amplification/shaping circuit 18 and driver 19 are not particularly shown in FIG. 1, but are formed on a silicon base material integral with the integrated circuit 2. Incidentally, these circuits may be included and formed within the integrated circuit 2.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a control circuit that controls overall data writing/reading operations of the card recording/reading device 8;
1 is connected to this control circuit 20, and the driver 1
A driver having the same configuration as 9 causes the light emitting element 17 to emit light; 22 is an amplification/shaping circuit that amplifies and shapes the signal obtained by the light receiving element 16 and supplies the signal to the control circuit 20; 23 controls lighting of the light source 5; This is a lighting circuit.

Next, the recording and reading operations of the card in the above configuration will be explained. First, the personal card 1 is inserted into the card insertion slot 9 of the card recording/reading device 8 until it stops. During the process, the card surface is cleaned by the cleaning member 10. Insertion of the card is detected by turning on the microswitch 11, which causes the control circuit 20 to turn on the lighting circuit 23 to turn on the light source 15. When the personal card 1 is stopped at a predetermined position by the stopper 14, each of its light-receiving element 3, light-emitting element 4, and photocell 5 is connected to the light-emitting element 1 of the recording/reading device 8.
7. Opposed to the light receiving element 16 and the light source 15.

In this state, the light emitting element 17 and the light receiving element 3
The combination of the light emitting element 4 and the light receiving element 16 constitutes a so-called photocoupler. Further, the photovoltaic cell 5 of the personal card 1 generates an electromotive force upon receiving the irradiation light from the light source 15, and supplies the integrated circuit 2 and the like with the power necessary for its operation.

Write data and control data for the personal card 1 are transmitted by operating the driver 21 in response to a signal from the control circuit 20 and causing the light emitting element 17 to blink. This optical signal is converted into an electrical signal by the light-receiving element 3, and then taken into the integrated circuit 2 via the amplification and shaping circuit 18, and transferred to the logic operation circuit or memory therein. On the other hand, read data and response signals from the personal card 1 are generated by the operation of the driver 19 in response to the signal from the integrated circuit 2, which causes the light emitting element 4 to blink, and the optical signal to be converted into an electrical signal via the light receiving element 16. The signal is taken into the control circuit 20 of the card recording/reading device 8 via the amplification/shaping circuit 22 .

As described above, according to the present invention, since signals are exchanged and power is supplied optically, data can be written/read in a personal card and power can be supplied to the integrated circuit in the card without contact. This has the advantage of preventing failures due to poor contact, etc.

Note that when the personal card 1 is left under sunlight or indoor light, an electrical signal is generated by the light receiving element 3, but in such a case, this electrical signal remains in the same state for at least a certain period of time, so It can be clearly distinguished from data signals, etc., and therefore, if a circuit is provided in the integrated circuit 2 to ignore such continuous electrical signals, it will not be affected by natural light at all as described above.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic internal configuration of the device shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a diagram showing main circuit parts of an embodiment of the invention. It is a block diagram. 1...Personal card, 2...Integrated circuit, 3,1
6... Light receiving element, 4, 17... Light emitting element, 5... Photocell, 8... Card recording/reading device, 15... Light source.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An integrated circuit is embedded in an insulating card base material, and this integrated circuit is connected to an external connection means that sends and receives electrical signals using a light emitting element and a light receiving element, and an external connection means that receives power from a photovoltaic cell. The personal card recording/reading device comprises a light emitting element located at the back of the personal card insertion slot and facing a light receiving element of the card to transmit a signal when the personal card is inserted in a predetermined position. , a light receiving element facing the light emitting element of the card and receiving signal transmission; a light source facing the photovoltaic cell of the card and emitting light; and a surface of the installation part of the light receiving element, the light emitting element and the photovoltaic cell of the personal card A personal card recording/reading device comprising a cleaning member for cleaning.