IC module and smart card

• US 6,378,774 B1
• Filed: 05/11/2000
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Toppan Printing Co., Ltd. (TOPPAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Hidemi, Igarashi, Susumu, Emori, Susumu, Kobayashi, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Michael G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Ahshik
• Application Number:
  US09/568,977
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/449, 235/380, 235/448, 235/440
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06 characterised by the kind of the digital marking, e.g. shape, nature, code
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/077 Constructional details, e.g. mounting of circuits in the carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07747 at least one of the integrated circuit chips being mounted as a module
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07756 the connection being non-galvanic, e.g. capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07769 the further communication means being a galvanic interface, e.g. hybrid or mixed smart cards having a contact and a non-contact interface
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07775 the antenna being on-chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07783 the coil being planar
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07784 the inductive antenna consisting of a plurality of coils stacked on top of one another
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10178 including auxiliary means for focusing, repeating or boosting the electromagnetic interrogation field comparable booster antennas integrated on the record carrier itself G06K19/07794

Abstract

A smart card comprises an IC module and an antenna for non-contact transmission. The IC module has both a contact-type function and a non-contact-type function. In the contact-type function, power reception and signal transmission/reception is effected via an electrical contact. In the non-contact-type function, power reception and signal transmission/reception is effected in a non-contact state by an electromagnetic coupling system without providing the IC card with an electrical contact. The IC module and the antenna comprise first and second coupler coils, respectively, which are disposed to be closely coupled to each other, and the IC module and the antenna are coupled in a non-contact state by transformer coupling. An antenna coil is disposed so as not to overlap an engagement portion for the IC module, which is a region of an external terminal electrode serving as a contact-type electrode, an embossing region, or a magnetic stripe region.

Claims

1. A smart card having both a function of a contact and a function of a non-contact, the smart card comprising an IC module and an antenna element, wherein

said IC module comprises an IC chip incorporating a contact transmission function and a non-contact transmission function, and a module substrate having an external terminal serving as a contact transmission element and a first coupler coil,

said antenna element comprises an antenna for performing at least one of power reception and signal transmission/reception with an external read/write apparatus, and a second coupler coil connected to said antenna, and

said first coupler coil of said IC module and said second coupler coil of said antenna element for non-contact transmission are disposed to be closely coupled to each other, and said IC module and said antenna element are coupled in a non-contact manner by transformer coupling.

2. The smart card according to claim 1, wherein said antenna element has a capacitive element.

3. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an embossing region, and wherein

said IC module is provided at a substantially central portion of one shorter side of the card, and the embossing region is provided along one longer side of the card, and

said antenna for non-contact transmission is provided so as not to interfere with an external terminal region of the IC module and the embossing region.

4. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an embossing region, and wherein

said IC module is provided at a substantially central portion of one shorter side of the card, and the embossing region is provided along one longer side of the card, and

said antenna for non-contact transmission is provided so as not to interfere with an external terminal region of the IC module and the embossing region, said antenna being provided at a region defined by a longer side of the card opposed to said one longer side along which the embossing region is provided, a boundary of the embossing region on an inner side of the card, a boundary of the external terminal region of the IC module on the inner side of the card, and a shorter side of the card opposed to said one shorter side at which the IC module is provided.

5. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising an embossing region, and wherein

said IC module is provided at a substantially central portion of one shorter side of the card, and the embossing region is provided along one longer side of the card, and

at least a portion of said antenna for non-contact transmission is disposed between the embossing region and an edge of the card and between an external terminal region of the IC module and the edge of the card, and provided along a periphery of the card so as not to interfere with the external terminal region of the IC module and the embossing region.

6. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a magnetic stripe region and an embossing region, and wherein

said IC module is provided at a substantially central portion of one shorter side of the card, the embossing region is provided along one longer side of the card, and the magnetic stripe region is provided along the other longer side of the card, and

said antenna for non-contact transmission is provided so as not to interfere with an external terminal region of the IC module, the embossing region, and the magnetic stripe region.

7. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a magnetic stripe region and an embossing region, and wherein

said IC module is provided at a substantially central portion of one shorter side of the card, the embossing region is provided along one longer side of the card, and the magnetic stripe region is provided along the other longer side of the card, and

said antenna for non-contact transmission is provided substantially along a boundary of the magnetic stripe region on an inner side of the card, a boundary of the embossing region on an outer peripheral side of the card, and a boundary of an external terminal region of the IC module on the outer peripheral side of the card, so as not to interfere with an external terminal region of the IC module, the embossing region, and the magnetic stripe region.

8. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a magnetic stripe region and an embossing region, and wherein

said IC module is provided at a substantially central portion of one shorter side of the card, the embossing region is provided along one longer side of the card, and the magnetic stripe region is provided along the other longer side of the card, and

said antenna for non-contact transmission is provided at a region defined by a boundary of the embossing region on an inner side of the card, a boundary of an external terminal region of the IC module on the inner side of the card, a boundary of the magnetic stripe region on the inner side of the card and a shorter side opposed to said one shorter side at which the IC module is provided, so as not to interfere with an external terminal region of the IC module, the embossing region, and the magnetic stripe region.

9. The smart card according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said second coupler coil of the antenna element is disposed outside a loop of the antenna.