MXPA99000677A

MXPA99000677A - Portable data transfer device and sujec length

Info

Publication number: MXPA99000677A
Application number: MXPA/A/1999/000677A
Authority: MX
Inventors: Fries Manfred
Original assignee: Siemens Ag 80333 Muenchen De
Priority date: 1996-07-18
Filing date: 1999-01-18
Publication date: 2000-02-02

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable data transfer device, for the non-contact transfer of electrical signals or data to a read-write station, with a data carrier (2), wherein an electronic circuit is integrated with a memory data, and with a coupling element (3) subordinate to the electronic circuit, which is arranged or supported in a certain position in space with respect to the electronic circuit. The data carrier (2) and the coupling element (3) are respectively formed as individual components, which can be used independently of one another. A fastening element (4) is provided at least partially adjusted to the outer dimensions of the data carrier (2), which supports the data carrier (2) on one side, and the coupling element (3) on the other, in the predetermined position with respect to the data carrier (

Description

PORTABLE DATA TRANSFER DEVICE AND FIXING ELEMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a portable data transfer device according to the generic term of claim 1 and to a fastening element for supporting a coupling element for a data carrier according to the generic term of claim 8 .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The possibilities of application of the chip cards formed usually in the form of credit cards, due to a high functional flexibility, have become multifaceted and continue to increase with the greater capacity of calculation and memory of the circuits. integrated available. In addition to the fields of application currently typical of said chip cards in the form of medical insurance cards, of flexible timetables, telephone records and the like, in the future there will be applications in particular in the electronic payment traffic, in the control of access to computers, in protected data memories, etc. As regards the type of connection to a terminal, or a read-write station, it differs between contact chip cards and so-called chip cards without Contact. In the case of a contact chip card, this is done through a metallic contact field with contact surfaces usually standardized according to an ISO standard. There are also contactless chip cards that, in addition to the technical advantages with respect to contact chip cards, offer a number of interesting new possibilities in the application for card manufacturers and users. Thus, contactless chip cards, for example, must not necessarily be inserted into a card reader, but there are systems that operate at a distance of a few meters. A wide field of application is, for example, public transport, where in the shortest time possible the largest number of people must be registered. In addition to other advantages, the contactless chip card offers the preference that no technical element is visible on the surface of the card, so that the optical design of the card surface is not limited by magnetic strips or surfaces contact. The disadvantages of the contactless chip cards currently available are the additional constructive elements, such as transfer coils or capacitor plates that must be integrated into the card. In addition, the necessary electronics in the contactless chip card for the transfer of "contactless electrical signals to the read-write station is more expensive." In principle, circuits that allow a microwave signal transfer are suitable for the above. , optical signals, capacitive or inductive coupling, where due to the flat shape of the chip card, the capacitive and inductive coupling are the most appropriate, currently, in most contact cards, the transfer is made by inductive , with which both data and energy transfer can be carried out, In this way, one or several induction coils are integrated in the card body, which are properly in contact with the circuit in the semiconductor chip. The transfer of electrical signals is carried out according to the principle of the coupled transformer loosely, the frequency being for example, between 100 and 300 kHz or some MHz, in particular the industrial frequency of 13.56 MHz. For this purpose, induction coils are required, with coil surfaces essentially greater than the base surface of the semiconductor chip of about 10. square millimeters, typically around 30 to 40 square centimeters, the induction coil usually having a few turns and being formed flat. In general, the semiconductor construction elements are mounted on the corroded coil in the form of prefabricated modules or directly as a chip. Then, the chip module that is taken as a separate component is laminated in the card body together with the induction coil to finish the manufacture of the chip card, introducing for the volume compensation when laminating intermediate sheets provided with punches, such as insert sheets. Possible configurations and conceivable configurations of the induction coil have limits on the one hand for the predetermined maximum construction height of about 840 micrometers of an ISO chip card, and on the other, due to the predetermined bending properties according to the standard ISO, and thus, the maximum achievable magnetic flux density is also limited. An important parameter in contactless chip cards is the range, that is, the maximum distance between the chip card and the read-write station, within which the data transfer still works perfectly. In addition to the properties of the read-write station, the maximum possible range depends, above all, on the adjustment of the induction coil inside the chip card in relation to the semiconductor chip and the active surface of the induction coil that it functions as an antenna, the bobbin surface being limited in nature, due to the pre-established size of the chip card. European Patent EP-A-0 691 625 discloses a portable radio frequency coating for a chip card according to the generic term of claim 1, said built-in coating having a microcontroller circuit powered by a battery, with which it is possible to carry out the non-contact transfer of data from a chip card to a reading device. The exchange of data from the chip card to the microcontroller circuit provided in the coating is carried out capacitively through capacitor plates, the voltage supply of the chip card is carried out by means of an inductive driver circuit provided in the coating , which has a ferrite core. German patent DE-A-44 01 089 discloses a protective coating for contactless chip cards, in which the chip card is surrounded by a flat, in particular rectangular, cover, and at least a part of the The surface surrounding the card is electrically conductive. With the protective coating it is possible to protect chip cards without contact from unauthorized access.

OBJECTIVES AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION The present invention is based on the objective of providing an arrangement for a contactless chip card, with which the read or write security is improved by passing the contactless chip card through the reading station -writing, and that can increase the maximum possible reading or writing distance. This objective is achieved by a portable data transfer device according to claim 1 and a fastening element according to claim 8. In accordance with the invention, it is provided that the data carrier is a chip card without contact with an induction coil integrated in the body of the chip card, which is electrically connected to the electronic circuit and the coupling element has a magnetic material subordinate to the induction coil. The magnetic material can be a ferrite material incorporated in the fastening element as a whole body, it being possible to use, in addition to the conventional ferrite materials, other suitable materials, for example rare earth magnetic materials, such as, for example, barium titanate and similar. In the use of this type of ferrite to increase the magnetic flux density of the induction coil housed in the chip card, in accordance with the principle according to the invention, it is not linked to the chip card itself in any case to the ISO requirements to be complied with as regards flexural properties; When inserting ferrite materials directly into the card, ISO bending prescriptions must not be achieved in all cases. The invention allows a series of advantages with respect to previously known contactless chip cards. On the one hand, a coupling element that amplifies the antenna effect in the non-contact transfer of the electrical signals to the read-write station can be optimized with respect to the largest possible reading or writing distance. of the constructive prescriptions of the chip card. Thus, the construction height of the coupling element can be, for example, several millimeters, which opens the possibility of using ferrite material as a coupling element, whereby, for example in the case of an access control without contact of a user, the reading security is improved and the maximum reading distance can be increased considerably. On the other hand, the fastening element with the coupling element can be used as many times as possible and, for example, when discarding the chip card, it can be used again. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the fastening element is shaped as a covering for the data carrier and that it accommodates it at least partially. The coating can serve in any case as protection for the chip card without contact, as well as adornment and advertising carrier. In addition, the coating can be made of a transparent or at least partially translucent material, in particular a plastic material, and can thus guarantee in the case of the data carrier inserted in the housing, the optical view of the impression that is in the data carrier Advantageously, it can also be provided that the coupling element is permanently fixed to the clamping element, and the clamping element and the data carrier are shaped or arranged for a releasable mechanical link. In this way, in the case of data carriers housed or fixed in, or on the fastening element, the correct position of the coupling element with respect to the electronic circuit is guaranteed, and still a link is ensured, or, a release that is easiest to handle from the data carrier and the coupling element. Another preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the fastening element is made of plastic material and is inserted into the fastening element particularly in the form of magnetic particles bonded to the plastic. In this case, the clamping element can also achieve the standard prescriptions provided for the chip card with regard to bending properties. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, it is provided that the fastening element is formed as a bag for at least partial housing of the data carrier, said bag having a base plate and a cover plate covering at least partially the base plate, being supported in the marginal zone of the same by means of a support device. This can be designed as a distance support essentially U-shaped and / or as individual distance ribs, distributed in the marginal area of the base plate and having a distance from each other. In this embodiment, the coupling element can be inserted on one side into only one side wall at a predetermined position, parallel to the chip card, or, to amplify the antenna effect, it can be introduced with both sides with respect to the chip card inside the fastening element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Other properties, advantages and convenient features of the invention result from the following description of examples of embodiment with the help of the drawing. Figure 1 is a schematic overview of a portable data transfer device with a data carrier (chip card without contact) and a fastening element that supports the coupling element, according to an embodiment of the invention . Figure 2 is a schematic sectional view of a data transfer device, in accordance with another embodiment. And Figure 3 is a schematic sectional view of a data transfer device, in accordance with another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The embodiments of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 3, include a portable data transfer device 1 for the non-contact transfer of electrical signals or data to a fixed read-write station to a place (nd shown), with a data carrier 2 in the form of a contactless chip card conventionally in commerce and a coupling element 3 of a magnetic material. The contactless chip card 2 includes a plastic card body 11, formed in credit card format, inside which an electronic circuit formed on a semiconductor chip is integrated, with a data memory and an induction coil connected electrically with the circuit, wherein the turns of the induction coil, taking advantage of the maximum card surface of the chip card 2, have extensions approximate to the outer dimensions of the card body 11. The manufacture of a chip card without contact 2 such as this, with integrated induction coil and semiconductor chip, is known to the person skilled in the art and does not need to be illustrated here in more detail. According to the invention, a fastening element 4 is provided that at least partially fits the external dimensions of the data carrier 2, which supports the data carrier 2 on the one hand, and the coupling element on the other. 3 in the predetermined position with respect to the data carrier 2. The coupling element 3 is fixed or permanently inserted in the fastening element 4. In the preferred embodiments according to FIGS. 1 to 3, the fastening element 4 constitutes a protective coating for the chip card without contact, in the form of a bag for the almost complete (Figures 1 and 2) or almost complete (Figure 3) housing of the data carrier 2, said bag having a base plate 5 and a cover plate 6 covering the above at least partially, which is supported on the marginal zone of the base plate 5 by a support device 7, this being formed as a distance support essentially in U-shaped. This is, for example, stuck in the marginal zone of the base plate 5, and the cover sheet 6 is supported in such a way on the distance support, that it is arranged at a certain distance from the plate. base 5. The fastening element 4 shown in the. Figures 1 to 3 are thus closed on three sides by the support device 7, and are only open on one side. The optically transparent base plate 5 and cover plate 6 respectively consist of a flexible, mechanically strong and solid plastic, such as, for example, polycarbonate or polyester. The total thickness of the cover plate 6 also composed of several individual sheets is, for example, 0.25 to 2 millimeters. The thickness of the cover device 7 is chosen in such a way that an easy introduction of the data carrier 2 into the fastening element 4 is guaranteed, that is to say, for example, a little more than 840 micrometers. Instead of the U-shaped distance support 7, in another embodiment of the invention not shown in detail, the support device can also be formed as individual distance ribs, distributed in the marginal zone of the base plate 5, the fastening element 4 being in this case not completely closed in the three marginal areas, but having a space of air between the cover plate 6 and the base plate 5, so that the data carrier 2 can be inserted more easily into the fastening element 4. In another embodiment of a fastening element according to the invention, neither shown, the base plate consists of the same material as the cover plate. Such a fastening element can be formed, for example, so simply that a single cover plate with twice the surface area of a chip card is folded in half and, for example, it is glued on three marginal sides by means of the U-shaped distance support, which has gluing surfaces. In another embodiment, looking for a simpler construction, a part of the cover plate resting on the marginal area of the base plate is formed as a support device, so that the cover plate and the support device are one piece. The marginal section of the cover plate forming the support device can be manufactured by deep drawing, stamping, bending and buckling or by another method. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a thin, plate-shaped ferrite 12 is incorporated into the cover plate 6, whose base surface almost completely matches the corresponding external dimensions of the data carrier 2. The cover plate 6 consists in this case of two plastic sheets of the same surface, between which the ferrite plate 12 is placed and which are welded together in the marginal zone. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, ferrite bodies 8 and 9 are incorporated in the cover plate 6 as well as in the base plate 5, which respectively have a thickness of, for example, around 0.5 to 1. millimeters In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3, respectively magnetic particles 10 are included in the base plate 5 and the cover plate 6 formed respectively as plastic sheets with a thickness of about 1 to 2 millimeters.

Claims

NOVELTY OF THE INVENTION Having described the foregoing invention, it is considered a novelty, and therefore, the content of the following is claimed as property: CLAIMS

1. A portable data transfer device, for the transfer of electrical signals or data to a read-write station, with a data carrier, wherein an electronic circuit is integrated with a data memory, and with a subordinate coupling element to the electronic circuit, which is arranged or supported at a certain position in space with respect to the electronic circuit, providing a fastening element at least partially adjusted to the outer dimensions of the data carrier, which supports on one side the carrier of data, and on the other, to the coupling element, in the predetermined position with respect to the data carrier, characterized in that the data carrier constitutes a chip card without contact with an induction coil integrated in the body of the chip card , which is electrically connected to the electronic circuit, and the coupling element has a magnetic material its bordinated to the induction coil, to improve read or write security by passing the contactless chip card through the read-write station, and to increase the maximum possible reading or writing distance.

2. A data transfer device according to claim 1, characterized in that the clamping element is shaped as a cover for the data carrier and houses it at least partially.

3. A data transfer device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the coupling element is permanently fixed to the fastening element and this and the data carrier are shaped or arranged for a detachable mechanical connection between yes

4. A data transfer device according to claim 1 of claim 1, characterized in that the fastening element is made of plastic material and the coupling element is inserted into the fastening element, particularly in the form of particles. Magnetic linked to plastic.

5. A data transfer device according to claim 1 of claim 1, characterized in that the clamping element is formed as a bag for at least partial housing of the data carrier, said bag having a plate base and a cover plate covering at least partially the base plate, which is supported on the marginal zone of the base plate by a support device.

6. A data transfer device according to claim 5, characterized in that the support device is formed as a distance support essentially U-shaped and / or in the form of individual distance ribs, distributed in the area marginal of the base plate and that they have a distance from each other.

7. A data transfer device according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the coupling element is inserted into the base plate or the cover plate or both.

8. A fastening element with a coupling element supported therefor, for a chip card without contact, wherein an electronic circuit with a data memory and an induction coil, which is electrically connected to the electronic circuit, are integrated, wherein - the fastening element has a base plate and a cover plate at least partially covering the base plate, which is supported on the marginal zone of the base plate by means of a support device, - the coupling element presents a magnetic material subordinate to the induction coil, and - the coupling element is inserted in the base plate or in the cover plate or both, namely at a position in the predetermined space according to the electronic circuit according to the housing of the chip card without contact.

9. A fastening element according to claim 8, characterized in that the support device is formed as a distance support essentially U-shaped and / or in the form of individual distance ribs, distributed in the marginal region of the base plate and that they have a distance between them.

10. A fastening element according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the fastening element is made of a plastic material and the coupling element is inserted inside the fastening element in particular in the form of magnetic particles linked to the plastic.

11. A fastening element according to claim 8, characterized in that the fastening element is shaped as a cover for the data carrier and houses it at least partially.

12. A fastening element according to claim 8, characterized in that the coupling element is permanently fixed to the fastening element and this and the data carrier are shaped or arranged for a mechanical connection detachable from each other. 14. A fastening element according to claim 9, characterized in that the data carrier constitutes a chip card without contact with an induction coil integrated in the body of the chip card, which is electrically connected to the electronic circuit, and the coupling element has a magnetic material subordinate to the induction coil.