JP2001291081A - Non-contact information storage medium, issuing device thereof, external communication device, and communication method of non-contact information storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] Non-contact information storage capable of long-distance communication without adjusting the resonance frequency of each medium, and capable of long-distance communication even when a plurality of media are superimposed. A communication method for a medium, a device for issuing the medium, an external communication device, and a non-contact information storage medium is provided. SOLUTION: An IC chip 13 of a non-contact IC card 10
The resonance frequency is stored beforehand at the time of issuance in a resonance frequency storage circuit provided therein. When used, R / W20
Reads the resonance frequency at the beginning of communication, and adjusts the frequency of the electromagnetic wave for communication to the resonance frequency by the voltage control transmission circuit 25. Therefore, without adjusting the resonance frequency of the non-contact IC card 10 by a method such as adjusting the capacitance of the capacitor 12 of the non-contact IC card 10,
R / W2 using the resonance frequency of the non-contact IC card 10
Since communication with 0 can be performed, a long communication distance can be secured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-contact information storage medium for communicating using electromagnetic waves, a device for issuing the same, an external communication device, and a communication method for the non-contact information storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a non-contact type information storage medium has been produced, for example, as a non-contact IC card, and is used for a ticket gate at a station, a lift ticket gate at a ski resort, and the like. In these cases,
While the user passes the card over a reader / writer (hereinafter, R / W), data exchange, matching, updating, and the like (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as a transaction) are performed. Therefore, in such a usage form, since the time during which a transaction can be performed is short, it is necessary to increase the communicable distance to increase the communicable time. In particular, when a transaction is performed using a stored fair card or the like, in which the frequency corresponding to the passage through the gate or the boarding section is subtracted from the frequency set for the fee paid in advance, the transaction time is extended because the content is large. It is essential to take it, and it is desired that the communication distance be long.

As a conventional example, an example of a proximity type non-contact IC card 110 operating at about 13.56 MHz will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a conventional non-contact IC card 110, R / W 120
FIG. Conventional non-contact IC card 110
Has an antenna coil 111, a capacitor 112, and an IC chip 113. The IC chip 113 includes a data processing circuit 113a and a modulation / demodulation circuit 113b. The conventional R / W 120 includes an antenna coil 121, a data processing circuit 122, a modulation / demodulation circuit 12
3. An oscillator (OSC) 124 is provided. R / W12
0 is the fixed frequency generated by the oscillator 124 (13.56
(MHz) is modulated by a modulation / demodulation circuit 123 based on a signal from a data processing circuit 122, and an electromagnetic wave for communication is transmitted via an antenna coil 121.

To increase the communication distance, the R / W12
0 and the frequency of the electromagnetic wave transmitted by the contactless IC card 11
Since the resonance frequency of the internal resonance circuit (antenna coil 111 + IC chip 113 + capacitor 112, etc.) is preferably close, the resonance circuit inside the non-contact IC card 110 is designed to resonate in this frequency band.

However, the resonance frequency of the circuit including the IC chip 113 tends to change due to variations in the capacitance of the capacitor inside the IC chip 113, and the non-contact IC card 110 is manufactured without taking any measures. Then, the resonance frequency becomes the design value (13.56 MHz in this example).
The card has a value outside the range, and the communication distance is short, so that the communicable time during actual use is short.

Conventionally, in order to solve this problem, a capacitor 112 is connected in parallel to the antenna coil 111,
By adjusting the capacitance of the capacitor 112, the resonance frequency fc represented by the following equation was adjusted. fc = 1 / (2π√ (LC)) Here, fc: resonance frequency (Hz), L: inductance (μH), and C: capacitance (pF).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a conventional non-contact IC card 110. As shown in FIG. As a method of forming the antenna coil 111 inside the non-contact IC card 110, there is etching with copper, aluminum, or the like.
When the capacitor 112 is provided outside the antenna 13, the antenna coil 111 formed by etching is often used. In this case, as a method of adjusting the capacitance of the capacitor 112, the capacitor 112 is formed by a plurality of capacitors 112-1, 112-2, 112-3, etc. connected in parallel, and some of these are formed. Was done by physically disconnecting.

[0008]

However, in the above-described conventional non-contact IC card 110, since the capacitance of the capacitor inside the IC chip 113 varies depending on the variation, the IC
It is necessary to measure the resonance frequency for each lot of the chip 113 or for each chip, and to specify the position where the chip 113 is to be cut off, which complicates the operation and causes a high unit price of the card.

The conventional non-contact IC card 110 is
In the manufacturing process of the card, the resonance frequency sometimes changed. FIG. 7 shows a conventional non-contact IC card 11.
0 is a sectional view. The conventional non-contact IC card 110 is
Conductor part 1 of antenna coil 111 and capacitor 112
PET with antenna (P
ET: polyethylene terephthalate, the same applies hereinafter) substrate 1
16, an IC chip 113 is mounted on both sides, and an adhesive (117a, 117b) and a PET base material (118a, 11
8b), surface layers (119a, 119b), etc.
One card was made by press lamination. The capacitor 112 includes conductor portions 112a and 11
2b is formed as a capacitor by forming a parallel flat plate and using the PET substrate with antenna 116 as an insulator, but the press lamination changes the thickness of the PET substrate with antenna 116. There is also a problem that the capacitance of the capacitor 112 changes and the resonance frequency shifts.

C = ε × S / d where C: capacitance of the capacitor, ε: dielectric constant of the medium between the parallel plates, S: area of the parallel plates, d: distance between the parallel plates. When the resonance frequency is changed by press lamination, the capacitors 112-1, 112-2, 112-3, etc. connected in parallel to the antenna coil 111 are cut off because the card has already been made into a card. In this case, the frequency cannot be adjusted by the user, so that a defective product having poor communication characteristics has been obtained.

The antenna coil 111 and the capacitor 11
As a method of forming 2, in addition to etching, there is a method of using conductive printing or winding (copper wire or the like). In particular, conductive printing is an effective method for manufacturing a non-contact IC card at low cost because the manufacturing cost can be kept low. However, it is difficult to provide a capacitor for frequency adjustment by the method using conductive printing or winding, so that the resonance frequency is adjusted by adjusting L (inductance of the coil). Was difficult, complicated, and costly.

Meanwhile, in the case of a card having a resonance frequency of 13.56 MHz, a plurality of cards (= anti-collision) are used.
Is in the R / W communication area, some have a function of recognizing each card. However, the conventional non-contact IC card 110 has a R / W
, It has been confirmed that the resonance frequency of the card is reduced by several MHz due to the influence of the antenna between the cards. For example, in the case of a card having a resonance frequency of 15.00 MHz, the resonance frequency is reduced to about 13.00 MHz, and the communication distance becomes extremely short as compared with a single card.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent No. 2698766 discloses a method of sweeping the frequency of an oscillator in an R / W within a certain frequency range without adjusting the resonance frequency of a card, and fixing communication at a frequency at which resonance is achieved with the card. The method of doing is used. But,
In this method, sweeping takes too much time, and when used in a gate system, a system that requires a transaction, or the like, a practical problem arises, and the method cannot be used in practice.

An object of the present invention is to enable long-distance communication without adjusting the resonance frequency of each medium, and to provide non-contact information capable of long-distance communication even when a plurality of media are superposed. An object of the present invention is to provide a communication method for a storage medium, an issuing device thereof, an external communication device, and a non-contact information storage medium.

[0015]

The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems by the following means. In addition, in order to make it easy to understand, description is given with reference numerals corresponding to the embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the invention according to claim 1 includes a resonance circuit (11, 12);
A data processing circuit (13a) that communicates with the outside by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves using the resonance circuit; and at the time of issuance, information on the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit obtained from the outside by the data processing circuit is written. A non-contact information storage medium (10) including a resonance frequency storage circuit (13c) from which the information transmitted by the data processing circuit is read out when used.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an issuance device (30) for issuing the non-contact type information storage medium according to the first aspect, wherein the issuance processing electromagnetic wave for issuing the non-contact type information storage medium is provided. Issuance processing antenna means for transmission and reception (31)
A resonance frequency detection circuit (3) that sweeps the electromagnetic wave to detect the resonance frequency of the non-contact information storage medium.
6) and an issuance data processing circuit (32) for performing a process of transmitting the resonance frequency to the non-contact information storage medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an external communication device (20) for transmitting and receiving information to and from the non-contact type information storage medium according to the first aspect, wherein the communication device performs communication with the non-contact type information storage medium. Communication antenna means for transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves (2)
1) a resonance frequency reading unit (22) for reading the resonance frequency stored in the resonance frequency storage circuit, and a frequency changing unit (25) for changing the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave according to the resonance frequency. An external communication device comprising:

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, when issuing the non-contact information storage medium (10) according to the first aspect, the electromagnetic wave is swept to detect the resonance frequency, and the resonance frequency is stored. When using the non-contact information storage medium, communication is performed by a communication electromagnetic wave of a predetermined frequency, the resonance frequency is read, the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave is changed according to the resonance frequency, and subsequent communication is performed. It is a communication method of a non-contact type information storage medium to be performed.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an internal structure of a non-contact IC card 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the parts performing the same functions as those of the above-described conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals at the end, and redundant description will be appropriately omitted. The non-contact IC card 10 is a non-contact information storage medium having an antenna coil 11, a capacitor 12, and an IC chip 13. FIG. 2 shows a non-contact I
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the C card 10. The non-contact IC card 10 according to the present embodiment includes an adhesive (17a, 17) on both surfaces of the antenna-equipped PET base material 16 on which the conductor portions 12a, 12b of the capacitor 12 are formed.
b), PET base material (18a, 18b), surface layer (19
a, 19b) are laminated and press-laminated to form one card.

The antenna-equipped PET base material 16 includes the antenna coil 11 and the conductors 12 a and 12 b of the capacitor 12.
Is a 50 μm-thick PET substrate. The antenna coil 11 may use any of etching, conductive printing, and winding (copper). In the present embodiment, since the frequency adjustment is not performed on the card side, the communication frequency with the R / W can be easily adjusted with any antenna. An IC chip is mounted on the PET substrate 16 with the antenna by a flip-chip mounting method using an ACF (anisotropic conductive film).

The adhesives 17a and 17b are made of P with an antenna.
An adhesive for bonding a PET substrate to both surfaces of the ET substrate 16 was used, and a polyester-based adhesive was used. Also,
The adhesive 17a has a thickness of 300 μm, and the adhesive 17b
Had a thickness of 100 μm.

Each of the PET bases 18a and 18b is a milky white base made of PET having a thickness of 188 μm, and is provided for reinforcement and thickness adjustment. PET base material 18
a and 18b are provided so that the cards are oriented vertically so as to suppress curling of the card.

The surface layers 19a and 19b are provided on the outermost surface and are printed layers. Printing is performed by normal offset printing or silk printing. In order to improve the durability of the picture, a protective layer (OP) is applied on the print.

In this embodiment, the above-described layers and the base material are laminated without adjusting the resonance frequency using an antenna or the like, and the press lamination is performed at 130 ° C. and 98 kPa (10 kgf / c).
m ² ), the contactless IC card 10
To manufacture.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the non-contact IC card 10, its issuing device 30, and a communication method for them. The IC chip 13 of the non-contact IC card 10 includes a data processing circuit 13a, a modulation / demodulation circuit 13b, and a resonance frequency storage circuit 13c. The resonance frequency storage circuit 13c is a part of a nonvolatile memory that stores various data, and is a part that stores a resonance frequency unique to a card.

The issuing device 30 is a device for inputting initial data and the like to the non-contact IC card 10 in the issuing process performed at the start of use of the non-contact IC card 10. It has a data processing circuit 32, a modulation / demodulation circuit 33, and a gain phase analyzer 36.

The issuance data processing circuit 32 is an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU for performing various processes at the time of card issuance, and also controls the modulation / demodulation circuit 33, the gain phase analyzer 36 and the like. In the present embodiment, the issuance data processing circuit 32
Is provided inside the issuing device 30.

The modulation / demodulation circuit 33 modulates the variable frequency carrier generated by the gain phase analyzer 36 on the basis of a signal from the issued data processing circuit 32, and transmits an electromagnetic wave for communication via the antenna coil 31. And demodulates the received electromagnetic wave to issue data processing circuit 32.
This is a signal conversion unit for transmitting to the.

The gain phase analyzer 36 sends the non-contact IC card 10
This is a resonance frequency detection circuit that sweeps the frequency of an electromagnetic wave used for communication with a predetermined range and detects a region where the gain is maximum.

When performing the issuing process, the issuing data processing circuit 32 gives an instruction to the gain phase analyzer 36,
The frequency is swept within a predetermined range, and a region where the gain is maximized is detected to measure the resonance frequency (in the case of a single card or a plurality of cards), and the resonance frequency is measured. The data is written to the internal resonance frequency storage circuit 13c.

FIG. 4 shows a non-contact IC card 10 and its R
/ W20 and a diagram for explaining these communication methods. The R / W 20 is a device that performs a transaction or the like when the non-contact IC card 10 is used, and includes an antenna coil (communication antenna unit) 21, a data processing circuit 22, a modulation / demodulation circuit 23, a voltage control transmission circuit (hereinafter, VOC). )
25.

The data processing circuit 22 is an arithmetic circuit such as a CPU for performing various processes when the card is used, and functions as a resonance frequency reading section for reading the resonance frequency of the non-contact IC card 10 at the initial stage of communication.

The modulation / demodulation circuit 23 modulates a carrier having a specific frequency generated by the VOC 25 based on a signal from the data processing circuit 22 and transmits an electromagnetic wave for communication via the antenna coil 21. , A signal converter for demodulating the received electromagnetic wave and transmitting the demodulated electromagnetic wave to the data processing circuit 22.

The VOC 25 is a frequency changing unit that changes the frequency of the carrier wave according to the signal from the data processing circuit 22 and transmits it to the modulation / demodulation circuit 23.

In the communication by the R / W 20, first, the data processing circuit 22 goes through a predetermined procedure (ATQ: answer to request, etc.) to contactless IC card 1
Reading of data inside 0 is performed. The data to be read first includes the resonance frequency unique to each card stored in the resonance frequency storage circuit, and the data processing circuit 22 changes the frequency transmitted by the VOC 25 to match this resonance frequency. . Thereby, non-contact IC
The communicable distance between the card 10 and the R / W 20 increases to the longest distance in the combination. In addition, R / W20
By returning the oscillation frequency to an initial value (for example, 13.56 MHz) at the stage when the communication with the non-contact IC card 10 is completed, initial communication with another card to be processed next becomes easier.

(Embodiment) Using the non-contact IC card 10, the issuing device 30, the R / W 20, and the communication method according to the present embodiment, the case of one card and the case of two cards according to the prior art. A comparison with the case was made. The conditions for comparison are shown below. (1) In the case of one card, the resonance frequency of the card was adjusted on the R / W side without adjustment. (2) In the case of one card, the resonance frequency of the card was adjusted by a capacitor. (3) In the case of one card, the resonance frequency of the card was not adjusted and was not adjusted on the R / W side. (4) In the case of two cards, the resonance frequency of the card was adjusted on the R / W side without adjustment. (5) In the case of two cards, the resonance frequency of the card was adjusted by a capacitor. (6) In the case of two cards, the resonance frequency of the card was not adjusted and was not adjusted on the R / W side.

Under these conditions, an experiment was carried out to confirm whether or not the card and R / W were updated, assuming that a non-contact IC card was used for a commuter pass at a ticket gate of a railway station. In a ticket gate at a train station, an operation method is used in which a commuter pass (a non-contact IC card) is passed over the R / W of an automatic ticket gate. In this case, the distance between the card and the R / W starts from the beginning of the holding (10 cm), becomes the closest when the hand is held (5 cm), and gradually becomes longer when passing by (the passing A: 10 cm), It moves out of the communication range (passing B: 15 cm). The results of the experiment are summarized in Table 1.

[0038]

[Table 1]

In this case, it is assumed that a card having a resonance frequency of 15.00 MHz is used as a commuter pass without adjusting the antenna and the capacitor of the card. R / W is 1
Since transmission is performed at a frequency of 3.56 MHz, communication is possible only within a distance of 6 cm or less as it is. However, from the result of the condition (1), by adjusting the resonance frequency, 1
It can be seen that communication becomes possible even at 0 cm. This is because when the card is held over (a distance of 5 cm), data is exchanged between the R / W and the card, and the card-specific resonance frequency = 15.00 MHz recorded inside the card is read. The oscillation frequency on the R / W side is 15.0
This is due to the change to 0 MHz. Due to this frequency change, R /
Communication time has been extended since communication between W and the card can be performed. The resonance frequency specific to the card recorded inside the card is measured in advance when the card is processed by a card manufacturer (or issuer), and is recorded in a memory inside the card.

Next, the cards of the conditions (4) to (6) are
Let's take a look at the results of stacking. Here, in the case of the condition (4), when the issuance process is performed, the resonance frequency when two cards are overlapped is also recorded inside the card. According to the results shown in Table 1, when the issuance process is performed, the resonance frequency when a plurality of cards are stacked is also recorded in the card at the same time, so that even when the plurality of cards are stacked and held over the R / W. It can be seen that by recognizing each card and changing the oscillation frequency on the R / W side, the communication distance can be extended. On the other hand, in the conditions (5) and (6), communication was possible only when the user was holding the card, but no communication was possible at a distance longer than that.

According to this embodiment, the frequency used for communication can be matched between the non-contact IC card and the R / W without adjusting the resonance frequency of each non-contact IC card. The production cost of the non-contact IC card alone can be significantly reduced while maintaining the necessary communication distance. In addition, since the resonance frequency of a state in which a plurality of non-contact IC cards are stacked is also stored, a low-cost non-contact IC card that can secure a required communication distance even when only one card is used or a plurality of cards are used. Can be.

(Modifications) Various modifications and changes are possible without being limited to the above-described embodiments, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention. (1) In the present embodiment, an example in which a polyester-based adhesive that is a thermosetting resin is used as the adhesive has been described.
The present invention is not limited to this, and a thermoplastic resin such as a polyvinyl acetate adhesive may be used.

(2) The issuing data processing circuit 32 and the data processing circuit 22 are respectively provided with the issuing device 30 and the R / W 20
Although the example provided inside was shown, it is not limited to this,
For example, a higher-level unit such as another control device provided outside or a personal computer may be used.

(3) In the present embodiment, the issuing device 30
And the R / W 20 are shown as separate devices, but the R / W 20 is also used as an issuing device having these functions in one device.
W may be used.

[0045]

As described in detail above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the information of the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit is written at the time of issuance, and the data processing circuit transmits the information to the outside at the time of use. Since a resonance frequency storage circuit from which information on the resonance frequency is read is provided, the frequency used for communication can be matched between the medium and an external device without adjusting the resonance frequency for each medium. The manufacturing cost of the non-contact information storage medium can be significantly reduced while the distance is maintained. In addition, the resonance frequency in a state where a plurality of non-contact information storage media are superimposed can be stored, so that a required communication distance can be secured whether used alone or in combination.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the issuing apparatus includes the resonance frequency detecting circuit and the issuing data processing circuit for transmitting the resonance frequency to the non-contact information storage medium, the resonance frequency can be stored in the non-contact information storage medium. A non-contact information storage medium that can be stored in a medium and can secure a necessary communication distance even at a low price can be issued.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the external communication device includes the resonance frequency reading unit and the frequency changing unit, communication can be performed at the same frequency as the resonance frequency of the non-contact information storage medium. The communicable distance can be lengthened.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, when issuing a non-contact type information storage medium, the resonance frequency is stored in a resonance frequency storage circuit, and when used, the resonance frequency is first read and the communication electromagnetic wave is read. Since the frequency is changed according to the resonance frequency, the frequency used for communication can be matched between the medium and the external device without adjusting the resonance frequency for each medium, and the necessary communication distance is secured. As it is, the manufacturing cost of the non-contact information storage medium can be significantly reduced. In addition, the resonance frequency in a state where a plurality of non-contact information storage media are superimposed can be stored, so that a required communication distance can be secured whether used alone or in combination.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a non-contact IC card 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a figure which shows the internal structure of 0.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the non-contact IC card 10.

FIG. 3 shows a non-contact IC card 10 and its issuing device 30,
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating these communication methods.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a non-contact IC card 10, its R / W 20, and a communication method thereof.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional non-contact IC card 110 and R / W12.
It is a figure explaining 0.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a conventional non-contact IC card 110.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional non-contact IC card 110.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Non-contact IC card 11 Antenna coil 12 Capacitor 13 IC chip 13a Data processing circuit 13b Modulation / demodulation circuit 13c Resonance frequency storage circuit 20 R / W 25 Voltage control oscillation circuit 30 Issuing device 36 Gain phase analyzer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G06K 19/00 N

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A resonance circuit, a data processing circuit that communicates with the outside by transmitting and receiving electromagnetic waves using the resonance circuit, and at the time of issue, the resonance of the resonance circuit obtained from the outside by the data processing circuit When the frequency information is written and used,
A resonance frequency storage circuit from which the information transmitted by the data processing circuit to the outside is read. 2. An issuing device for issuing a non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein: an issuance processing antenna means for transmitting and receiving an issuance processing electromagnetic wave for issuing the non-contact information storage medium; A resonance frequency detection circuit that sweeps the electromagnetic wave to detect the resonance frequency of the non-contact information storage medium; and an issuance data processing circuit that performs a process of transmitting the resonance frequency to the non-contact information storage medium. An issuing device comprising: 3. An external communication device for transmitting and receiving information to and from the non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the communication antenna transmits and receives a communication electromagnetic wave for communicating with the non-contact information storage medium. An external communication device comprising: a unit; a resonance frequency reading unit that reads the resonance frequency stored in the resonance frequency storage circuit; and a frequency change unit that changes the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave according to the resonance frequency. 4. When issuing the non-contact information storage medium according to claim 1, the electromagnetic wave is swept to detect the resonance frequency, the resonance frequency is stored, and the non-contact information storage medium is stored. When used, a communication is performed by a communication electromagnetic wave of a predetermined frequency, the resonance frequency is read, the frequency of the communication electromagnetic wave is changed according to the resonance frequency, and a non-contact information storage medium that performs subsequent communication is used. Communication method.