Manual noncontact IC card reader

• US 20080203163A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi-Omron Terminal Solutions Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Tadamasa, Akihiro, Wakabayashi, Naoyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,740,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/449
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2208 associated with components used in interrogation type services, i.e. in systems for information exchange between an interrogator/reader and a tag/transponder, e.g. in Radio Frequency Identification [RFID] systems methods or arrangements for sensing record carriers, e.g. for reading patterns G06K7/00; record carrier for use with machines and with at least a part designed to carry digital markings G06K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop

Abstract

A technology that is applicable generally to manual noncontact card readers regardless of whether they are of insertion or swipe type, and realizes stable communication even with antennas of small size is provided. A pair of loop antennas 22a, 22b is located in opposition to either side of a transport path 2, in proximity to a card insertion slot 3 of the transport path 2. A magnetic circuit 40 which connects the loop antennas 22a, 22b together is located so as to not lie exposed in the transport path 2, so that, of the magnetic fluxes produced in two directions with respect to the noncontact card from the loop antennas 22a, 22b, one of these will be diverted through the magnetic circuit 40 without interlinking to the card.

Claims

1. A manual noncontact card reader comprising:

a card insertion slot for inserting a noncontact card;

a transport path through which is manually transported a noncontact card inserted into the card insertion slot;

a reading module for noncontact reading of information recorded on the noncontact card, and that includes a pair of loop antennas disposed in opposition to either side of the transport path in proximity to the card insertion slot of the transport path; and

a magnetic circuit connecting the loop antennas is located so as to not lie exposed in the transport path.

4. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 1 wherein the magnetic circuit is composed of a generally U-shaped magnetic body with low magnetic resistance.

6. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 1 further comprising:

a detector disposed on the transport path, for detecting that a manually transported noncontact card has reached a prescribed location; and

an implementing module that implements a prescribed process on the basis of information read by the reading module, on the condition that the detector has detected a noncontact card.

9. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 4 further comprising:

a detector disposed on the transport path, for detecting that a manually transported noncontact card has reached a prescribed location; and

an implementing module that implements a prescribed process on the basis of information read by the reading module, on the condition that the detector has detected a noncontact card.

2. A manual noncontact card reader comprising:

a card insertion slot for inserting a noncontact card;

a transport path through which is manually transported a noncontact card inserted into the card insertion slot; and

a reading module for noncontact reading of information recorded on the noncontact card, and that includes a pair of first loop antennas disposed to either side of the card insertion slot with the antenna plane approximately perpendicular to the card insertion direction;

a pair of second loop antennas disposed in opposition to either side of the transport path in proximity to the card insertion slot of the transport path; and

a magnetic circuits respectively connecting the first loop antennas to one other and the second loop antennas to one other are located so as to not lie exposed in the transport path.

3. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 2 wherein the first loop antennas are driven in mutually opposite phase each other.

5. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 2 wherein the magnetic circuit is composed of a generally U-shaped magnetic body with low magnetic resistance.

7. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 2 further comprising:

a detector disposed on the transport path, for detecting that a manually transported noncontact card has reached a prescribed location; and

an implementing module that implements a prescribed process on the basis of information read by the reading module, on the condition that the detector has detected a noncontact card.

8. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 3 further comprising:

a detector disposed on the transport path, for detecting that a manually transported noncontact card has reached a prescribed location; and

an implementing module that implements a prescribed process on the basis of information read by the reading module, on the condition that the detector has detected a noncontact card.

10. The manual noncontact card reader according to claim 5 further comprising:

a detector disposed on the transport path, for detecting that a manually transported noncontact card has reached a prescribed location; and

an implementing module that implements a prescribed process on the basis of information read by the reading module, on the condition that the detector has detected a noncontact card.

11. A manual noncontact card reader comprising:

a card insertion slot for inserting a noncontact card;

a transport path through which is manually transported a noncontact card inserted into the card insertion slot;

a reading module for noncontact reading of information recorded on the noncontact card, and that includes a loop antenna and a magnetic body disposed in opposition to either side of the transport path in proximity to the card insertion slot of the transport path; and

a magnetic circuit connecting the loop antenna and the magnetic body is located so as to not lie exposed in the transport path.

12. A manual noncontact card reader comprising:

a card insertion slot for inserting a noncontact card;

a transport path through which is manually transported a noncontact card inserted into the card insertion slot;

a reading module for noncontact reading of information recorded on the noncontact card, and that includes a pair of magnetic bodies disposed in opposition to either side of the transport path in proximity to the card insertion slot of the transport path;

a coil for generating a magnetic field between the magnetic bodies; and

a magnetic circuit connecting the coil and the magnetic bodies is located so as to not lie exposed in the transport path.