COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM, RELAY COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, RELAY COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE AND ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE COMBINATION, ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE, INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM, AND INFORMATION STORAGE MEDIUM PRODUCTION METHOD

• US 20140015649A1
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Published: 01/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Dai Nippon Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Akiyama, Tomoya, Ohsugi, Kei
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,681 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• 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 7/10425 the interrogation device being arranged for interrogation of record carriers passing by the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10435 the interrogation device being positioned close to a conveyor belt or the like on which moving record carriers are passing conveying in accordance with bodily destination marks, see B65G47/46, sorting of objects carrying identity markings, see B07C5/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a communication system, a relay communication device, a combination of the relay communication device and the electromagnetic induction communication device, an electromagnetic induction communication device, an information storage medium, and an information storage medium manufacturing method, in which a communication system communicating through electromagnetic induction can be implemented at low cost. A relay automatic ticket gate system provides the following. An IC card 40 includes an IC chip capable of communicating through electromagnetic induction, and a pair of conductive plates. A relay communication device includes a relay loop antenna, and a pair of conductive rails. An electromagnetic induction ticket gate communicates through electromagnetic induction between a ticket gate loop antenna communicating with a relay loop antenna through electromagnetic induction, and a relay communication device. A ticket gate control unit executes processing of communication with the IC chip.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

an information storage medium;

an electromagnetic induction communication device; and

a relay communication device disposed between the information storage medium and the electromagnetic induction communication device, the communication system performing communication while conveying the information storage medium,

wherein the information storage medium comprises;

an IC chip configured to be communicable through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling; and

a pair of electrically conductive plates connected to the IC chip,

wherein the relay communication device comprises;

a relay loop antenna; and

a pair of electrically conductive rails which is connected to both ends of the relay loop antenna, placed along a conveyance direction of the information storage medium, and electrostatically coupled with the pair of electrically conductive plates of the information storage medium, and

wherein the electromagnetic induction communication device comprises;

a communication loop antenna configured to communicate with the relay loop antenna through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling; and

a control unit configured to execute processing of communication with the IC chip of the information storage medium, when the communication loop antenna communicates with the relay communication device through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling, and the relay communication device electrostatically couples with the information storage medium.

2. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the pair of electrically conductive plates of the information storage medium is juxtaposed each other with respect to a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

3. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the relay communication device includes a conveyance device configured to convey the information storage medium in the conveyance direction.

4. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the relay communication device includes:

an insertion slot into which a user inserts the information storage medium; and

an alignment device configured to align the information storage medium inserted into the insertion slot, such that the pair of electrically conductive plates is juxtaposed each other with respect to the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

5. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the information storage medium having the electrically conductive plates has a rectangular shape,

wherein the pair of electrically conductive plates is juxtaposed in parallel with each other in a direction along a long side of the rectangular shape, and

wherein the relay communication device conveys the information storage medium, such that the conveyance direction of the information storage medium is orthogonal to the long side of the rectangular shape of the information storage medium.

6. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the relay communication device includes a plurality of rollers, which are disposed in a plurality of openings provided at a surface of each of the electrically conductive rails, and which are arranged in the conveyance direction of the information storage medium.

7. The communication system according to claim 1,

wherein the relay communication device includes:

a section of determining a communication processing result on the pair of electrically conductive rails,

wherein the communication system includes;

a notification unit, which is provided at the electromagnetic induction communication device or the relay communication device, configured to notify the communication processing result; and

a communication result determination control unit, which is provided at the electromagnetic induction communication device or the relay communication device, configured to determine the communication processing result in a case in which the information storage medium is conveyed to the section of determining a communication processing result,

wherein the communication result determination control unit controls the notification unit to notify a failure occurrence, when determining the communication processing result to be anomalous, and

wherein the communication result determination control unit continues communication processing until completion thereof when the communication processing is in progress, and controls the notification unit to notify a failure occurrence when determining the communication processing result to be anomalous.

15. An electromagnetic induction communication device used in the communication system according to claim 1, comprising:

the communication loop antenna; and

the control unit.

16. An information storage medium used in the communication system according to claim 1, comprising:

the IC chip; and

the pair of electrically conductive plates.

8. A relay communication device, which is disposed between an information storage medium and an electromagnetic induction communication device each provided in a communication system, configured to perform communication while conveying the information storage medium, the relay communication device comprising:

a relay loop antenna configured to communicate with a communication loop antenna of the electromagnetic induction communication device through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling; and

a pair of electrically conductive rails connected to both ends of the relay loop antenna and placed along a conveyance direction of the information storage medium,

wherein the pair of electrically conductive rails is configured to communicate through electrostatic coupling with a pair of electrically conductive plates, which is connected to an IC chip provided at the information storage medium and communicable through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling.

9. The relay communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a conveyance device configured to convey the information storage medium in the conveyance direction.

10. The relay communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

an insertion slot into which a user inserts the information storage medium; and

an alignment device configured to align the information storage medium inserted into the insertion slot, such that the pair of electrically conductive plates is juxtaposed each other with respect to a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction.

11. The relay communication device according to claim 8,

wherein the information storage medium having the electrically conductive plates has a rectangular shape,

wherein the pair of electrically conductive plates is juxtaposed in parallel with each other in a direction along a long side of the rectangular shape, and

wherein the information storage medium is conveyed such that the conveyance direction of the information storage medium is orthogonal to a long side of the information storage medium.

12. The relay communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of rollers, which are disposed in a plurality of openings provided at a surface of each of the electrically conductive rails, and which are arranged in the conveyance direction of the information storage medium.

13. The relay communication device according to claim 8, further comprising:

a section of determining a communication processing result on the pair of electrically conductive rails,

wherein the electromagnetic induction communication device or the relay communication device includes;

a notification unit configured to notify the communication processing result; and

a communication result determination control unit configured to determine the communication processing result in a case in which the information storage medium is conveyed to the section of determining a communication processing result,

wherein the communication result determination control unit controls the notification unit to notify a failure occurrence, when determining the communication processing result to be anomalous, and

wherein the communication result determination control unit continues communication processing until completion thereof when the communication processing is in progress, and controls the notification unit to notify a failure occurrence when determining the communication processing result to be anomalous.

14. A combination of a relay communication device and an electromagnetic induction communication device, the combination comprising:

the electromagnetic induction communication device according to claim 8, and

the relay communication device according to claim 8.

17. A method of manufacturing an information storage medium used in a communication system that includes:

an electromagnetic induction communication device including a communication loop antenna configured to be communicable through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling, and a control unit configured to execute communication processing via the communication loop antenna; and

a relay communication device including a relay loop antenna that communicates with the communication loop antenna through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic coupling, and a pair of electrically conductive relay members, which is connected to both ends of the relay loop antenna and spaced away each other by a slit,

the information storage medium performing communication processing with the control unit of the electromagnetic induction communication device via the relay communication device,

the method for manufacturing the information storage medium arranged in a predetermined direction, comprising;

forming a plurality of electrically independent pairs of electrically conductive plates so as to be separated each other on an insulating base material; and

placing an IC chip communicable through electromagnetic induction or electromagnetic across a slit between a pair of electrically conductive plates obtained in the forming.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

forming an electrically conductive thin plate on the insulating base material,

wherein the forming a plurality of electrically independent pairs of electrically conductive plates includes removing a removal area of a part of the electrically conductive thin plate obtained in the forming an electrically conductive thin plate, such that the plurality of pairs of electrically conductive plates are separated each other.

19. The method according to claim 18,

wherein the removing a removal area comprises machining the removal area of a part of the electrically conductive thin plate.

20. The method according to claim 19,

wherein a pair of electrically conductive plates is arranged in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a direction of arranging the information storage medium, and

wherein the removing a removal area includes:

removing a removal area by machining along the direction of arranging the information storage medium to form the slit; and

removing a removal area by machining along the orthogonal direction.

21. The method according to claim 19,

wherein a pair of electrically conductive plates is arranged in an orthogonal direction orthogonal to a direction of arranging the information storage medium,

wherein, in the forming an electrically conductive thin plate, the pair of electrically conductive thin plates is formed to be juxtaposed on the insulating base material in the orthogonal direction so as to provide the slit, and

wherein the removing a removal area comprises machining the removal area along the orthogonal direction of the electrically conductive thin plate.

22. The method according to claim 19,

wherein a direction of arranging the pair of electrically conductive plates is the direction of arranging the information storage medium, and

wherein the removing a removal area includes:

removing a removal area between a pair of electrically conductive plates by machining along the orthogonal direction orthogonal to the direction of arranging the information storage medium; and

removing a removal area between adjacent pairs of electrically conductive plates by machining along the orthogonal direction.

23. The method according to claim 18,

wherein the removing a removal area comprises removing the removal area by etching.

24. The method according to claim 17,

wherein the forming an electrically conductive plate comprises plating.

25. The method according to claim 17,

wherein the forming an electrically conductive plate comprises electrically conductive ink printing.

26. The method according to claim 17,

wherein the forming an electrically conductive plate is configured to render an interval between adjacent pairs of electrically conductive plates in the direction of arranging the information storage medium to be sufficiently larger than the slit between the pair of electrically conductive plates.

27. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

providing a unit of information storage medium by cutting the insulating base material between adjacent pairs of electrically conductive plates.