JP2000322545A - Non-contact type information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve flexibility, directivity and gain and to attain improvement in convenience by providing an antenna part with a conductor part having a radio wave reflection and/or waveguide function, and making a substrate into film in the shape of thin plate having flexibility. SOLUTION: A substrate 11 is made into card-shaped film plate having flexibility and while using an ink having conductivity, an antenna 13 is directly printed on the surface of this film plate. Further, an antenna part 13a of the antenna 13 and a microchip 12 are electrically connected and the microchip 12 is fixed on the surface of the film plate. The antenna 13 constitutes so-called Yagi-Uda antenna by using the antenna part 13a, a reflector 13b and a waveguide 13c. Thus, the directivity/gain of a non-contact type information storage medium 10 is improved, a transmission/reception range between an R/W device and the non-contact type information storage medium 10 is extended and a range capable of reading/writing information can be expanded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for transmitting, receiving or transmitting and receiving (hereinafter simply referred to as "transmission and reception") signals containing various information (hereinafter simply referred to as "information signals") to read and / or read information signals in a non-contact manner. Or write (hereinafter Read /
The first letter of Write is called R / W. The present invention relates to a non-contact type information storage medium for performing the above method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional non-contact information storage media include:
IC (Integrated) that transmits and receives information signals using radio waves
Circuit) cards and ID (Identification) tags are known. When reading or writing an information signal using this non-contact information storage medium, an R / W device designed exclusively for the non-contact information storage medium and capable of transmitting and receiving information signals as radio waves is used. . FIG. 6 shows a conventional non-contact type information storage medium 100 and R / W device 200.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining a communication system that uses the communication system.

The non-contact type information storage medium 100 is a case 1
10, the antenna 120 and the microchip 130.
0 is housed in the case 110 and attached. The antenna 120 is provided for transmitting and receiving information signals as radio waves, and is a printed antenna printed on the case 110.

[0004] The microchip 130 has at least a storage unit and a control unit. The storage unit of the microchip 130 stores the input information signal and outputs the stored information signal. The control unit of the microchip 130 writes an information signal transmitted subsequent to the write request signal to the storage unit in response to a request signal related to writing received through the antenna 120 (hereinafter, referred to as a write request signal). In response to a read request signal (hereinafter, referred to as a read request signal), a desired information signal is read from the storage unit, and a response signal including the information signal is transmitted via the antenna 120. The power supply of the non-contact type information storage medium 100 is connected to the antenna 12
0, using the power of the radio wave received, or from an internal battery (not shown).

[0005] The R / W device 200 for transmitting and receiving information signals to and from the non-contact type information storage medium 100 includes a control unit 21.
0 and an antenna 220 are provided in the main body. Control unit 2
In 10, a write request signal and a read request signal are output to the antenna 220, and a response signal received by the antenna 220 is input. The antenna 220 is omnidirectional and transmits a write request signal and a read request signal over a wide range, and receives a response signal transmitted from a wide range.

Next, an operation of writing an information signal in the communication system will be described. Non-contact information storage medium 10
When a predetermined information signal is written to 0, for example, R / W
The antenna 220 of the device 200 transmits a write request signal and an information signal to be stored in the non-contact type information storage medium 100 within the transmission / reception range of the antenna 220.

[0007] The control unit of the microchip 130 of the non-contact type information storage medium 100 determines the request signal received by the antenna 120 intermittently or continuously.
When it is determined that the write request signal transmitted from the W device 200 has been received, control is performed so that the information signal received thereafter is stored in the storage unit. It should be noted that a password signal is transmitted together with the information signal to be stored in the non-contact information storage medium 100, and the non-contact information storage medium 100 adopts a method of storing the received information signal only when the password signals match. There are also things.

Next, the operation of reading out the information signal of the communication system will be described. Non-contact information storage medium 10
Contactless information storage medium 10 within the transmission / reception range of antenna 220 of R / W device 200 arranged at a location where
0, the non-contact type information storage medium 100 outputs R /
The read request signal output from the W device 200 can be received.

On the other hand, the control unit 210 of the R / W device 200
Transmits a read request signal from the antenna 220 a predetermined number of times or for a predetermined time. Upon receiving the read request signal via the antenna 120, the control unit of the microchip 130 of the non-contact type information storage medium 100 reads the information signal stored in the storage unit of the microchip 130, and returns a response including the information signal. Signal to antenna 12
Send via 0.

After the transmission of the read request signal is completed, the control unit 210 of the R / W device 200 intermittently or continuously transmits a response signal transmitted from the non-contact type information storage medium 100 for a predetermined time via the antenna 220. To perform the receiving operation. Then, the R / W device 200
The control unit 210 reads the response signal and ends the read operation.

The R / W device 200 transmits a password signal together with a read request signal, and the contactless information storage medium 100 transmits a response signal in response to the read request signal only when the password signals match. There is also a method that adopts a method.

Various systems have also been studied for a communication system using such a non-contact information storage medium. For example, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 4-37224 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 5-89299 have been disclosed as prior art. I have. In these publications, microwave or radio frequency (RF)
A prior art about a transmission / reception system using an ID card that transmits / receives an information signal using a radio wave of the above has been disclosed.

When transmitting and receiving information signals to and from such a non-contact type information storage medium, there is a demand to improve a directivity and a gain to construct a more convenient transmission and reception system than before. However, in the conventional non-contact type information storage medium, the directivity and the gain are not considered, and there is no non-contact type information storage medium in which the directivity and the gain are enhanced.

In the prior art, a non-contact type information storage medium to be attached to a helmet is also described. There is a demand to bend and integrate them. However, since the conventional ID card is a hard card, such an implementation was impossible.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems, and has improved flexibility, directivity, and gain, and is a highly convenient non-contact information storage medium. The purpose is to provide.

[0016]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a non-contact information storage medium comprising: an antenna unit for transmitting and / or receiving an information signal as a radio wave; And / or a storage unit in which writing is performed, a control unit that performs an operation of transmitting an information signal read from the storage unit and / or an operation of receiving an information signal output from the antenna unit, and a reflection of radio waves to the antenna unit. A conductor having a function and / or a waveguide function; and a substrate on which the antenna, the storage, the control, and the conductor are integrally provided.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the non-contact type information storage medium, wherein the substrate is a flexible thin film. And

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the non-contact type information storage medium, the substrate is a thin synthetic resin sheet having flexibility. And

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the non-contact type information storage medium according to any one of the first to third aspects, the antenna unit and / or the conductor unit are provided. Is printed on the substrate with conductive ink.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the non-contact type information storage medium according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the non-contact type information storage medium is provided on the substrate. The antenna device includes a protection unit that protects the antenna unit, the storage unit, the control unit, and the conductor unit from an external environment.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of a non-contact information storage medium according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the present embodiment. FIG. 1A is an external view of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 1B and 1C are explanatory diagrams illustrating side portions of the present embodiment. Non-contact information storage medium 10
The substrate 11 has flexibility. A microchip 12 is provided on the substrate 11. Although not shown, the microchip 12 is provided with a control unit, a storage unit, and a transmission / reception unit, and has only an information reading function, only a writing function, or both a reading function and a writing function. These functions are appropriately selected according to the application.

The microchip 12 has an antenna 1
3a is electrically connected. The antenna unit 13a
The loop antenna has two ends connected to the microchip 12, respectively. Microchip 12
Are configured to read information corresponding to digital data 0 and 1 by changing the direction of current flow.

The reflector 13b, which is a conductor, has a length exceeding the wavelength λ / 2 of an input radio wave so that the reflector 13b has a function of reflecting the antenna 13a. The director 13c, which is a conductor, has a length less than the wavelength λ / 2 of the input radio wave in order to have a waveguide function with respect to the antenna 13a.

Such an antenna section 13a, reflector 1
By using 3b and the director 13c, the so-called Yagi
It constitutes Uda antenna. In order to configure the Yagi-Uda antenna, one reflector 13b and one director 13c are used in addition to one reflector 13b and one director 13c as in the present embodiment. 13c, a configuration including only one of the plurality of reflectors 13b or the plurality of directors 13c, or a configuration including one reflector 13b and the plurality of directors 13c. It may be configured to include a plurality of reflectors 13b and one director 13c. Thus, the reflector 13b
The conductor which is a combination of the waveguide and the director 13c may be any conductor as long as it constitutes the Yagi-Uda antenna.

The antenna section 13a may be a half-wave dipole antenna or the like other than the loop antenna.
Hereinafter, the Yagi-Uda antenna, which is a combination of the antenna unit 13a, the reflector 13b, and the director 13c, will be simply referred to as the antenna 13 for explanation.

In this embodiment, the transmission frequency of the radio wave is assumed to be a microwave of f = 2.45 GHz, and the wavelength λ is about 12 cm. However, the present invention can be implemented even if the transmission frequency and the wavelength are changed and designed in accordance with the size of the non-contact type information storage medium.

The basic structure of the non-contact information storage medium 10 is as described above, but various other variations are possible. For example, the substrate 11 is a flexible card-shaped film plate, and the antenna 13 is directly printed on the surface of the film plate using conductive ink, and the antenna portion 13a of the antenna 13 and the microchip 12 are formed. The microchip 12 is electrically connected and the microchip 12 is fixed on the film plate surface.

The protection portion 14 is formed on the film plate configured as described above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, the film plate and the film plate serving as the protection unit 14 are attached so as to sandwich the microchip 12 and the antenna 13 therebetween. In this way, the antenna 13 is protected from the influence from the external environment, and a situation in which a part of the antenna 13 is peeled off and the directivity changes is avoided. Also,
The two bonded film plates are still flexible, and the non-contact information storage medium 10 can be bent.

Further, the substrate 11 and the protection portion 14 may be made of a synthetic resin plate such as a flexible laminate instead of a flexible card-like film plate. Various other combinations are also possible, such as a combination of a film plate substrate 11 and a synthetic resin plate protection portion 14, a synthetic resin plate substrate 1
1 and the protection portion 14 of the film plate.

Instead of forming the antenna 13 by printing, the antenna portion 13a, the reflector 13b, and the director 13c are each formed by processing using a conductor material.
These may be bonded to the substrate 11.

Further, as described above, the substrate 11 and the protection unit 1
Instead of forming the protective layer 4 and bonding it to each other, as shown in FIG. 1C, a protective portion may be formed on the surface of the substrate 11 on which the microchip 12 and the antenna 13 are formed so as to be covered with a laminate resin. it can. The non-contact type information storage medium 10 thus configured has flexibility and can be bent.

Next, the directivity and gain of the present embodiment will be described briefly. FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing a horizontal directional pattern of the antenna of the present embodiment, FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a vertical directional pattern of the antenna of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a folded contactless information storage medium. An explanatory diagram explaining the
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a transmission / reception range according to the present embodiment.

The horizontal directional pattern shown in FIG. 2 is a pattern in which one reflector 13b and one director 13c are placed so as to sandwich the antenna section 13a. The distance between the antenna 13a and the reflector 13b is 0.15λ, and the distance between the antenna 13a and the director 13c is 0.1 mm.
1λ. The directivity is as shown in FIG.
Directivity in the direction parallel to the antenna 13a and the director 13c
The gain has improved. The vertical plane directivity pattern shown in FIG. 3 is a pattern in the case where the reflector 13b and the director 13c are placed so as to sandwich the antenna unit 13a as in FIG. As for the directivity, as shown in FIG. 3, the directivity and the gain in the direction in which the reflector, the antenna unit, and the director are arranged are improved. Since the directivity / gain changes depending on the number of elements of the antenna, a desired directivity / gain can be obtained.

Also, when the non-contact type information storage medium is bent, as shown in FIG.
If the reflector 13b and the director 13c are located within 60 degrees of the vertical angle with respect to the center, the directivity and gain are substantially the same as the horizontal directional pattern shown in FIG. 2 and the vertical directional pattern shown in FIG. Characteristics can be maintained.

As described above, by improving the directivity and gain of the non-contact information storage medium, the transmission / reception range between the R / W device and the non-contact information storage medium is extended, and the range in which information can be read and written is expanded. Becomes For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when a person wearing a helmet equipped with the non-contact type information storage medium 10 passes directly below the R / W device 20, conventionally, the person cannot reach the transmission / reception range depending on his height. However, in the present embodiment, the directivity and the gain are improved so as to be in the transmission / reception range irrespective of the height of the user, so that the information read / write failure can be significantly reduced. .

As shown in FIG. 5 (b), when two persons wearing a helmet to which the non-contact type information storage medium 10 is attached are arranged side by side on the side of the R / W device 20, conventionally, A person located farther from the R / W device 20 may not reach the transmission / reception range and may not be able to read / write information. In this embodiment, however, the directivity / gain is improved to enter the transmission / reception range regardless of distance. With this configuration, it is possible to remarkably reduce information reading and writing defects.

Next, changes in directivity and gain when the contactless information storage medium 10 is bent will be described.
When the non-contact type information storage medium 10 is bent, the antenna unit 1
A change occurs in the positional relationship between 3a, reflector 13b, and director 13c. Experiments on changes in directivity and gain in this case
A survey was conducted.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 4A, it is assumed that the reflector 13b and the director 13c have moved to a position within a vertical angle of 60 degrees around the antenna 13a with respect to the substrate surface without bending. It was also found that there was almost no change in directivity and gain. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, even if the non-contact type information storage medium is bent to such an extent that it falls within the above-mentioned range, the directivity / gain of the non-contact type information storage medium is not affected. Therefore, various applications are possible.

For example, the non-contact type information storage medium can be attached to a curved helmet or the like as a mounting object. Of course, it may be pasted on a material having no curved surface. In addition to helmets, it can be attached to things worn on the body, such as hats, hachimaki, bandanas, belts, clothes, name tags, safety belts, shoes, badges, ticket holders, and ID card holders. At this time, whether or not the non-contact type information storage medium is bent is appropriately selected.

In this embodiment, the microchip 1
If 2 is a defective product, it may be configured to have a function of easily attaching and detaching the substrate 1 and the protection unit 14 so that the microchip 12 can be easily replaced with a good microchip 12. For example, it is a non-contact type information storage medium (not shown) in which the protection unit 14 is a bag-like film cover, the substrate 1 is a card-like film plate, and the substrate 1 is removable from the protection unit 14. With such a configuration, it is easy to replace the microchip 12 having a low yield, so that the yield of the non-contact type information storage medium can be improved.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a non-contact type information storage medium which is not affected by the presence / absence of bending in addition to the mounting object and the mounting position. In addition, the directivity and gain can be improved by appropriately designing the antenna of the non-contact type information storage medium, and the transmission / reception range can be specified in accordance with the actual use environment and use method.

[0042]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly convenient non-contact information storage medium with improved flexibility, directivity and gain.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a contactless information storage medium of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a horizontal directivity pattern of the antenna according to the embodiment of the non-contact information storage medium of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a vertical plane directivity pattern of an antenna according to an embodiment of the non-contact type information storage medium of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a bent non-contact information storage medium that is a non-contact information storage medium of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a transmission / reception range of the contactless information storage medium of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a conventional communication system using a non-contact information storage medium and a R / W device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Non-contact type information storage medium 11 Substrate 12 Microchip 13 Antenna 13a Antenna part 13b Reflector 13c Director 14 Protection part 20 R / W device

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H04B 5/02 G06K 19/00 K F-term (Reference) 5B035 AA06 BB09 CA01 CA23 5J020 AA03 BA02 BC09 BD03 CA04 DA02 5J046 AA01 AA03 AB02 AB07 PA07 PA09 QA02 5K012 AA04 AA05 AB05 AC06 AD05 AE02 BA02 BA03 BA07 BA18

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An antenna unit for transmitting and / or receiving an information signal as a radio wave, a storage unit for reading and / or writing an information signal, a transmission operation of the information signal read from the storage unit, and / or
Or a control unit for receiving an information signal output from the antenna unit; a conductor unit having a function of reflecting and / or guiding a radio wave to the antenna unit; and the antenna unit, the storage unit, the control unit, and the conductor A non-contact type information storage medium, comprising: a flexible substrate on which a unit is integrally provided. 2. The non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible thin film. 3. The non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a flexible synthetic resin thin plate. 4. The non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit and / or the conductor unit is printed on the substrate with conductive ink. Non-contact type information storage medium characterized by the following. 5. The non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the antenna unit, the storage unit, the control unit, and the conductor unit provided on the substrate are connected to an external environment. A non-contact type information storage medium, comprising a protection unit for protecting the information storage medium from being damaged.