Reader/writer having coil arrangements to restrain electromagnetic field intensity at a distance

• US 6,176,433 B1
• Filed: 05/15/1998
• Issued: 01/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suga, Takashi, Hayashi, Yoshihiko, Makuuchi, Masami, Uesaka, Kouichi, Yoshino, Ryozo
• Primary Examiner(s): Frech, Karl D.
• Application Number:
  US09/079,226
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 343/895, 343/742, 343/867, 235/380, 235/375, 235/382, 235/382.5, 235/492
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0715 the arrangement including means to regulate power transfer to the integrated circuit
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles

Abstract

The present invention provides a reader and/or writer for performing both the supply of operating power to an IC card and transmission of a communication signal to the IC card or transmission and reception thereof to and from the IC card, wherein a main coil or a spiral antenna for generating an electromagnetic field for the two or at least power supply, and auxiliary coils or spiral antennas for generating magnetic fields opposite in phase to the electromagnetic field generated by the main coil or spiral antenna to thereby restrain the intensity of the electromagnetic field in the distance are provided side by side.

Claims

1. A reader/writer comprising:

a power supply portion which generates a voltage as a power transmission signal to be supplied to an IC card;

an encoder circuit which encodes an input communication data and outputs an encoded communication signal to be transmitted to the IC card;

an amplitude-modulator which superimposes a signal being amplitude-modulated by the encoded communication signal outputted from said encoder circuit on the signal generated from said power supply portion and outputs an amplitude-modulated signal;

a feeding circuit which feeds the amplitude-modulated signal outputted from the amplitude-modulator as a current signal;

an antenna which generates an electromagnetic wave to perform transmission of both operating power and communication to the IC card; and

wherein said antenna comprises a main coil which generates an electromagnetic field used for transmission of both said operating power and said communication by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit and a plurality of auxiliary coils which are disposed with substantially symmetry with respect to said main coil and which generate magnetic fields opposite in phase to a magnetic field generated by said main coil by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit to thereby restrain an intensity of the electromagnetic field at a distance.

3. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said main coil and said auxiliary coils is respectively supplied with each of currents which has a contrary phase with each other.

4. A reader/writer according to claim, 1 or 2, wherein each of said main coil and said auxiliary coils is respectively set with each of winding directions which are reverse with each other.

5. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of said main coil and said auxiliary coils is respectively supplied with each of currents which has a contrary phase with each other as to a power transmitting wave and is supplied with each of currents which has an identical phase with each other as to a communication signal wave.

6. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said auxiliary coils are provided outside of said main coil.

7. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein further comprising sub-auxiliary coils which are provided outside of said auxiliary coils and which generate magnetic fields of identical phase for said magnetic field of said main coil.

8. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said main coil and said plurality of the auxiliary coils are formed by a monolithic wiring.

9. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said plurality of auxiliary coils are formed by first and second auxiliary coils which are symmetrically provided on opposing two sides of said main coil.

10. A reader/writer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said plurality of auxiliary coils are formed by first and second and third and fourth auxiliary coils which are symmetrically provided on opposing four sides of said main coil.

13. A reader/writer according to claim 8, wherein each of said main coil and said auxiliary coils is respectively supplied with each of currents where an amplitude of currents being flowed in said auxiliary coils increases in correspondence with an amplitude of current being flowed in said main coil.

2. A reader/writer comprising:

a power supply portion which generates a voltage as a power transmission signal to be supplied to an IC card;

an encoder circuit which encodes an input communication data and outputs an encoded communication signal to be transmitted to the IC card;

an amplitude-modulator which superimposes a signal being amplitude modulated by the encoded communication signal outputted from said encoder circuit on the signal generated from said power supply portion and outputs an amplitude-modulated signal;

a feeding circuit which feeds the amplitude-modulated signal outputted from the amplitude-modulator as a current signal;

an antenna which generates an electromagnetic wave to perform transmission of both operating power and communication to the IC card; and

wherein said antenna comprises a main coil which generates an electromagnetic field used for transmission of both said operating power and said communication by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit and a plurality of auxiliary coils which are disposed with substantially symmetry with respect to said main coil and which generate axial magnetic fields in a direction opposite to a magnetic field generated by said main coil by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit to thereby restrain an intensity of the electromagnetic field at a distance.

11. A reader/writer comprising:

a power supply portion which generates a voltage as a power transmission signal to be supplied to an IC card;

an encoder circuit which encodes an input communication data and outputs an encoded communication signal to be transmitted to the IC card;

an amplitude-modulator which superimposes a signal being amplitude-modulated by the encoded communication signal outputted from said encoder circuit on the signal generated from said power supply portion and outputs an amplitude-modulated signal;

a feeding circuit which feeds the amplitude-modulated signal outputted from the amplitude-modulator as a current signal;

an antenna which generates an electromagnetic wave to perform transmission of both operating power and communication to the IC card; and

wherein said antenna comprises a main coil which generates an electromagnetic field used for transmission of both said operating power and said communication by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit and a plurality of auxiliary coils which are disposed with substantially symmetry with respect to said main coil and which generate magnetic fields by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit so as to restrain an intensity of the electromagnetic field at a distance.

14. A reader/writer according to claim 11 or 12, wherein said main coil and said plurality of the auxiliary coils are formed by a monolithic wiring.

12. A reader/writer comprising:

a power supply portion which generates a voltage as a power transmission signal to be supplied to an IC card;

an encoder circuit which encodes an input communication data and outputs an encoded communication signal to be transmitted to the IC card;

an amplitude-modulator which superimposes a signal being amplitude-modulated by the encoded communication signal outputted from said encoder circuit on the signal generated from said power supply portion and outputs an amplitude-modulated signal;

a feeding circuit which feeds the amplitude-modulated signal outputted from the amplitude-modulator as a current signal;

an antenna which generates an electromagnetic wave to perform transmission of both operating power and communication to the IC card; and

wherein said antenna comprises a main coil which generates an electromagnetic field used for transmission of both said operating power and said communication by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit and a plurality of auxiliary coils which are disposed with substantially symmetry for said main coil and which generate magnetic fields by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit so as to enlarge an area extending in a traverse direction of a magnetic-field intensity distribution being generated by said main coil.

15. A reader/writer comprising:

a power supply portion which generates a voltage as a power transmission signal to be supplied to an IC card;

an encoder circuit which encodes an input communication data and outputs an encoded communication signal to be transmitted to the IC card;

an amplitude-modulator which superimposes a signal being amplitude-modulated by the encoded communication signal outputted from said encoder circuit on the signal generated from said power supply portion and outputs an amplitude-modulated signal;

a feeding circuit which feeds the amplitude-modulated signal outputted from the amplitude-modulator as a current signal;

a spiral antenna which generates an electromagnetic wave to perform transmission of both operating power and communication to the IC card; and

wherein said spiral antenna has a plurality of portions having phase inverse portions of current distribution by reversing direction of turning of said spiral antenna by feeding the current signal from the feeding circuit so that a current flowing in each of said portions has a reverse phase with each other, and an axial magnetic field being generated by flowing the current in each of portions is identical in phase with each other.

16. A reader/writer having an improved constrained main electromagnetic field for performing both the supply of operating power to an IC card and transmission of a communication signal to said IC card or transmission and reception thereof to and from said IC card, comprising:

a main coil which generates a main electromagnetic field used for said power supply and communication; and

a plurality of electromagnetic field distribution control coils with respective ones of said electromagnetic field distribution control coils being disposed with substantially symmetry on opposing sides of said main coil and which generate control electromagnetic fields on opposing sides of said main coil and opposite in phase to said main electromagnetic field generated by said main coil, to cause said control electromagnetic fields to cancel portions of said main electromagnetic field in areas above said electromagnetic field distribution control coils to better constrain said main electromagnetic field to areas directly above said main coil.

17. A reader/writer having an improved constrained main electromagnetic field for performing both the supply of operating power to an IC card and transmission of a communication signal to said IC card or transmission and reception thereof to and from said IC card, comprising:

a main coil which generates a main electromagnetic field used for said power supply and communication; and

a plurality of electromagnetic field distribution control coils with respective ones of said electromagnetic field distribution control coils being disposed with substantially symmetry with respect to one another on opposing sides of said main coil and which generate control electromagnetic fields on opposing sides of said main coil and opposite in phase to said main electromagnetic field generated by said main coil, to cause said control electromagnetic fields to cancel portions of said main electromagnetic field at a periphery of said main coil and in areas above said electromagnetic field distribution control coils to better constrain said main electromagnetic field to areas directly above said main coil.