Reader and/or writer apparatus, power feeding system, and communication system

• US 6,608,550 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2000
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Kokusai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd., Kokusai Electric Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Igarashi, Keisuke, Suga, Takashi, Hayashi, Yoshihiko, Uesaka, Kouichi, Yoshino, Ryouzou
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US09/742,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20010000659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.34, 340/5.1, 340/693.1, 235/435, 235/439, 235/492, 343/702, 343/895
• US Class Current: 340/10.34
• 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 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• 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

Abstract

A reader and/or writer apparatus having an antenna lying substantially in a plane for generating an electromagnetic field to supply power to an IC card and a conductor member to be disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the antenna, wherein the distance between the antenna and the conductor member is no greater than 20 mm. A power supplying system supplies power using electromagnetic waves from the reader and/or writer apparatus to the IC card. The IC card includes a circuit for converting the supplied power to a D.C. voltage and for supplying the D.C. voltage to an internal circuit of the IC card.

Claims

1. A reader and/or writer apparatus comprising an antenna lying substantially in a plane for generating an electromagnetic field to supply power to an IC card and a conductor member to be disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the antenna, a distance between the antenna and the conductor member being no greater than 20 mm.

2. The reader and/or writer apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a power supply for generating a signal for supplying power, an encoding circuit for encoding inputted transmit data, a modulator for amplitude-modulating the signal obtained from the power supply with a signal obtained from the encoding circuit so that the signal obtained from encoding circuit is superimposed on the signal obtained from the power supply, and a power supplying circuit for supplying power to the antenna on the basis of a signal obtained from the modulator.

3. The reader and/or writer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the IC card is a non-contact proximate wireless IC card.

4. The reader and/or writer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the antenna is a spirally shaped or coil-shaped antenna.

5. The reader and/or writer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conductor member is made of Cu or Al.

6. A power supplying system for supplying power, using electromagnetic waves, from a reader and/or writer apparatus to an IC card, the IC card having a circuit for converting the supplied power to a D.C. voltage and for supplying the D.C. voltage to an internal circuit of the IC card, the reader and/or writer apparatus having an antenna lying substantially in a plane for generating an electromagnetic field to supply power to the IC card and a conductor member to be disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the antenna, a distance between the antenna and the conductor member being no greater than 20 mm.

7. The power supplying system according to claim 6, wherein said reader and/or writer apparatus includes a power supply for generating a signal for supplying power, an encoding circuit for encoding inputted transmit data, a modulator for amplitude-modulating the signal obtained from the power supply with a signal obtained from the encoding circuit so that the signal obtained from encoding circuit is superimposed on the signal obtained from the power supply, and a power supplying circuit for supplying power to the antenna on the basis of a signal obtained from the modulator.

8. The power supplying system according to claim 6, wherein said IC card is a non-contact proximate wireless IC card.

9. The power supplying system according to claim 6, wherein the antenna is a spirally shaped or coil-shaped antenna.

10. The power supplying system according to claim 6, wherein the conductor member is made of Cu or Al.